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ONLY HOPE: 



OR, 



TI ME REVEALS ALL. 



By MARCENUS R. K. WRIGHT, 

AUTHOR OF "CONFUCIUS " AND THE "MASTERION.' 



CON TENTS : 

Autobiographi at Sketch. The Only Hope — A Message. 

The Immersed, Life. Answers to Important Questions. 



" There are shades which will not vanish, 
There are thoughts thou canst not banish ; 
Thou canst never be alone." 

— Byron. 



DETROIT, MICH.: 
Wm. Graham, Printer, No. 52 Bates Street. 

1877.. 



OUR HOMESTEAD. 



It consists of 30 acres of land; with good buildings, is 
located in the corporation of Mkldleville, Barry County, 
Michigan, and is 

FOR SALE. 

The land is ina fine state of cultivation, is well watered, 
has abundance of 

YOUXG FBUIT TBEES 

growing upon it, as likewise an Old Bearing Orchard, 
and is within one hundred rods of a railroad station. 
Twenty acres of the land may be platted and sold for 

I3TJILIJ3INGr LOTS, 

at the option of the purchaser. Middleville now contains 
about 1,000 inhabitants, has a line water-power, and is mak- 
ing a rapid and healthy growth. 
The undersigned will arrange to sell 

ONE HUNDRED S,\VARMS OF BEES 

with the place, if desired. The bees will pay for it in three 
yearji, it' properly cared for. All necessary instruction will 
be given for their management. AVill give terms to suit 
purchaser. 

Address, or see, as above, 

MARCENUS WRIGHT. 



THE 



ONLY HOPE: 



OR, 



TIME REVEALS ALL. 



WRI 



By MARCENUS R. K. WRIGHT, 
♦ » 

AUTHOR OF "CONFUCIUS" AND THE "MASTERION." 



CONTENTS: 



Autobiographical Sketch* 
The Immersed Life. 



The Only Hope — A Message. 
Answers to Important Questions, 



rti^ 



fh 



" There are shades which will not vanish, 
There are thoughts thou canst not banish; 
Thou canst never be alone." 

— Byron, 



^ No. 

DETROIT, MICH.: 
Wm. Graham, Printer, No. 52 Bates Street." 

1877. 






Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year Eighteen Hundred and 
Seventy-three, 

By MARCENUS R. K. WRIGHT, 

In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. . 



Stereotyped by 

Religio-Philosophical Publishing House, 

Cbioago, 111. 



PREFACE. 



There are a great many curious things in the 
world to be considered. This little volume is one 
of them. The truth is, the author is a curious 
fellow himself. Should you doubt it, please 
peruse the pages of this pamphlet, and you will 
undoubtedly be convinced* 



AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL. 



A BRIEF NARRATIVE OF THE LIFE AND EXPERI- 
ENCE OF THE AUTHOR. 



I am sorry to feel the necessity, dear reader, of 
taking ray pen in my own hand to write concern- 
ing myself. The only excuse which I have to 
offer for so doing, is the fact that my experience 
during the past six or seven years, has been so 
remarkable, indeed, so absolutely beyond all that 
is ordinary, in the common course of life, that I 
reluctantly accept the task of making a written 
statement in regard to it. 

I was born in the village of East Victor, Onta- 
rio County, in the State of New York, on the sev- 
enteenth day of December, 1830. From childhood 
I have been a confirmed mental absentee and vis- 
ionist. This peculiarity of mind was, in my case, 
inherited ; my father and brother, as well as other 
members of our family being, " sleep-walkers, " 
and, to use a Scriptural expression, " dreamers of 
dreams." 

My brother, who long since departed this life, 
was more subject to these peculiar mental influ- 
ences than the writer; but my father, who was an 



6 AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL, 

old-time Methodist preacher, and a great thinker, 
withal, was more given to the habit of u night- 
walking" than any member of his household. 

It was not unusual for him to rise from his 
bed at night, in the state of somnambulism, and 
warm himself at the open fireplace in his old log 
cabin. At such times he would wander about the 
house, usually, without any apparent motive, 
yet, this was not always the case, for, upon many 
occasions, his mind seemed to definitely revert to 
subjects of daily thought. He would sometimes 
appear to be engaged in the occupation in which 
he employed his time. He would attempt to 
drive the cattle to water, or would strike at the 
oxen— as if driving them — which, during the day- 
time, he used in ploughing on his father's farm, 
He was, also, very fond of music, and would, 
now and then, try to give expression to his fond- 
ness for it, by attempting to sing some well-re- 
membered hymn. Occasionally he would open 
the door which led out into the yard in front of 
his dwelling. When this occurred, the cold air 
coming in contact with his person — in dishabille 
— usually aroused him from this irresponsible 
condition of trance, and he would return, cold 
and shivering, to his couch again. 

When I was a small boy, as I think, only three 
years old, I distinctly remember of being subject 
to what are usually termed "waking- visions," 
or, in other words, I often, observed objects and 
things which appeared real to my senses, yet, 
which other persons, who were near, did not 
seem to look at or notice. Sometimes these strange 
phantoms of the mind would make their debut 



OR LIFE EXPERIENCES. 7 

in my presence very suddenly, and as often dur- 
ing the hours of the day as of those of the night. 
• Now and then I would be looking out, perhaps, 
upon the road or street, being at home or in some 
familiar place, and would, all at once, observe 
some one near, whom I had met or known in 
years that were past, or, so it seemed to me ; and 
yet these oft-recurring sights, these forms and 
faces would quickly vanish from my presence, 
leaving my mind in a State of great surprise and 
astonishment over the mystery or singularity of 
the event. 

As I advanced in years, these fleeting appari- 
tions were oftener observed, and became, as a 
general thing, more impressively objective in ap- 
pearance. I was often very much astonished at 
their apparent substantiality, and I greatly won- 
dered why it was that my mind was so peculiarly 
constituted as to be the lone recipient of such 
marked and unusual demonstrations. 

During hours of sleep or repose, I realized 
many singular dreams, and enjoyed some of the 
most remarkable visions — visions which were often 
of the most imposing nature, embracing scenes 
which no language can describe — scenes in which 
the mind seemed to be carried away, as if in the 
full ecstacy and glory of a new and unspeakable 
revelation and life. 

I was often in the habit of reflecting upon the 
subject of my own realizations. They were both 
extraordinary and uncommon. I thought, "How 
strange it is, that in this peculiar mental state, the 
intelligent part of my being is able to grasp great 
thoughts, give expression to quaint and rare 



8 

ideas, realize all the emotions of joy, sorrow, pity 7 
contempt and anger, or reason, and observe with 
such minute accuracy and skill," and I was puz- 
zled and perplexed.* 

I began to look upon my experience in a most 
singular light. I could but regard myself as 
either very much favored or greatly bedeviled in 
mind. My spirit seemed to be incessantly travel- 
ing about nights in this entranced condition. I 
was visiting with friends or meeting with stran- 
gers. I was continually engaged in some sport or 
duty; would be playing or quarreling with my 
boyish companions ; would, unluckily, fall into 
some bees' nest, or, what is still worse, be com- 
pelled to seek refuge from enormous serpents and 
ferocious wild beasts, which I frequently encoun- 
tered in these "midnight rambles of the spirit." 

After years of thoughtful consideration upon 
the subject of these unusual occurrences, I be- 
come convinced — of what seemed to me to be very 
likely to be true — that I was either an object of 
unusual solicitude, somehow, in some mysterious 
way, or, that in an individual capacity, I was 
either graciously or morbidly endowed with a 
self-acting genius of intelligence. 

I began to think, at last, in view of the fact, 
that, upon several occasions, I had what the good 
folks at home called the " nightmare," when I 
was really quite well — that the elements and 
forces of my mind were prompted to action, or 
were acted upon, by some unseen, yet conscious 
thought-directing power. 

I was much inclined to accept the idea or doc- 
trine — one which was sometimes advanced by my 



i 



OR LIFE EXPERIENCES. 9 

friends as a possible explanation of much of the 
phenomena to which I was subject — of the pres- 
ence and protecting care of " guardian watchers" 
or beings of another and a higher life. I was 
quite satisfied, in my own judgment, that the in- 
fluences which I realized — as emotional or impul- 
sive — were emphatically distinct from any feeling 
or feelings which arose from the natural opera- 
tion of my own senses. Indeed, they seemed, in 
every instance, to act as an intimating or propell- 
ing force, somewhat difficult to resist ; and, more- 
over, I discovered that in yielding to them, with- 
out objection, I usually met with satisfactory 
success in my daily labors and undertakings. 

But here, with the reader' s permission, I will 
revert to a circumstance which I am inclined to 
think has had much to do with my many singu- 
lar, pleasant and unpleasant lessons in somnam- 
bulism and abseneistic* visions. 

When I was a boy, being only seven years old, 
I met with a somewhat serious accident. My 
brother, who was of a very restless and enthusi- 
astic temperament, and who was some five years 
older than myself, was engaged with other lads 
of his own age, in ball-playing in the garden near 
my father's house. Through youthful curiosity y 
and a desire to catch the ball, I inadvertantly 
drew too near my brother, who, at the time, held 
the bat — which was made of solid wood—in his 
hands. As the ball was thrown for him to strike 
at, he swung the club backward over his left- side 

* This term is used in preference to the word clairvoy- 
ance. It is not a positive phrase, and signifies " apart," or a 
"retiring from." 



10 AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL, 

with terrible force, and I, being in the way, una- 
voidably received the blow, which fell exactly 
over my eyes and the region of my perceptive 
faculties. 

I was felled to the ground blind and sense- 
less. My father came and carried me into the 
house. My mother was frightened, but with my 
sisters labored assiduously to restore my mind to 
consciousness and relieve me from pain. My 
brother wept as he saw me Jying insensible upon 
a bed of suffering. Several days elapsed before 
I fully recovered my sight. My mind was im- 
paired. I realized .an indefinite action of my 
thoughts. My senses appeared, at times, to be 
greatly obtused or fluctuating. It seemed as 
though I could not hold the organic action of my 
mind under the control of my will. This was a 
most singular phenomenon, but it gradually dis- 
appeared. Years passed on, and, as I grew to 
manhood, I naturally thought less of what had 
happened. I was young, and the vivaciousness 
of my youth tended to prevent my attaching any 
very serious consequence to my misfortune ; yet, 
such was the effect of the injury which I had sus- 
tained, that I could perceive a marked change in 
the capacity of my memory. 

Six years subsequent to the occurrence of this 
event, my brother, who had been a great sufferer 
from lameness and disease for a period embrac- 
ing nearly three years, died, leaving me, the 
youngest child of my father's family, to mourn 
his untimely loss, and, in after years, to bear the 
burden of many household cares. 

My attachment to my brother, notwithstanding I 



OR LIFE EXPERIENCES. 11 

his decease, seemed not in the least degree cut off 
or forgotten; but, on the contrary, a constant 
yearning and aspiration to reach a knowledge of 
his condition or state of being, inspired my 
thoughts, and carried my reflections away in 
fancy, to some heavenly realm, as I inferred, 
wholly beyond my ability to comprehend. 

For many years subsequent to my brother's 
death, it seemed to me as though I could sense 
his presence, or realize his nearness, at times, 
through certain strange feelings and influences 
which descended upon me like a charm, as if to 
guide my efforts, or put me on my^uard against 
personal mistakes and misfortunes. Indeed, I 
was the recipient of many evidences, both by day 
and by night, which tended to confirm my mind 
in my already well-established belief, in the pres- 
ence and watchful care of "angel missionaries." 

In the Summer of 1848, I was invited, by a 
friend, to go and investigate— as I could avail 
myself of leisure time — the then new and some- 
what marvelous "spiritual manifestation." Not- 
withstanding I was laughed at by some of my 
acquaintances and my family at home for my de- 
termination to do so, I did not let the opportunity 
pass, but went to work in real earnest to that 
end. 

In company with the Rev. Charles Hammond, 
of Rochester, N. 'Y., I visited the celebrated Fox 
Family, who were then residing in that city, and 
listened to the "mysterious sounds" which oc- 
curred in their presence. Subsequently my 
father's house was made the scene of some of the 
most remarkable demonstrations. A medium for 



12 AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL, 

the physical phases of the phenomena— than 
whom I have never known one better — visited onr 
home and remained in onr family dnring a period 
of several months. Upon this occasion it was my 
good fortune to gain access to a knowledge of 
these peculiar manifestations, which encompassed 
nearly the whole subject, in its external aspect, 
and settled the question as to their origin, in my 
mind, forever. 

In the Autumn of 1867 my father died, having 
attained the ripe old age of eighty -four years. 
My mother, one sister and myself, now constituted 
all that were left of our family, which had for- 
merly consisted of eight members. 

As a consequence of my father's death, I be- 
came, at times, quite sad and lonely. The many 
cares which it fell to my lot to bear were weighty 
and troublesome to my mind. I felt that I was, 
virtually, " alone in the world," struggling on- 
ward in the pathway of personal duty, compelled 
to think for myself, and to repose confidence in 
my own judgment and efforts. 

It is true, that I was not without some means to 
comfort me in life ; but the absence of five mem- 
bers of our once united and joyous household, 
caused me to realize a depression of heart and 
spirit, which I found it extremely painful to en- 
dure. 

I became each day more serious and thought- 
ful. I felt as if there was a strange vacancy 
around me. The creeping vine, which grew be- 
side the window, over the lattice, was less attrac- 
tive and inviting. The beautiful flowers, lining 
the walk which led from our dwelling to the open 



i 



OR LIFE EXPERIENCES. 13 

street, failed to impart that joy and happiness 
which they had been wont to confer. The circle 
of loved ones who met to enjoy the evening's re- 
past, was no longer as blithesome and cheerful as 
in days that were gone. I was reminded of the 
fact, that life presented many anomalous phases 
and features. Instead of being a restless and 
rollicksome boy, as I had been, I was obliged to 
think with greater earnestness and deliberation, 
and also to look after many important interests. 

In the year 1868, or immediately after the death 
of my father, I left my native village, in the State 
of New York, and journeying to the West, set- 
tled in Middleville, Barry County, Michigan, 
where my family still reside. 

It was in this place, and sometime after we lo- 
cated there, that through a circumstance, I was 
thrown into the abnormal or entranced state of 
mind, a condition from which I did not fully re- 
cover within a year and eight months.* 

During that period, which really seemed to me 
like an age, I passed through an experience, in 
superinduced mental action, which no language 
is fully adequate to explain. I was tossed and 
tumbled, in thought, like the billows of the ocean. 
My realizations were generally more distressing 
than pleasant. My mind was actually caught 
and imprisoned, so to say, psychologically, by a 
wary Aniwone, or guardian spirit, whose inten- 
tion it was to answer as far as practicable, to my 
solicitation for communion with friends in the 
immortal world. 



* See a work by the author, entitled "The Mastereon." 



14 

My mental faculties were played upon during 
my waking hours without cessation, even as a 
pianist would play upon his favorite instrument. 
So fully did the unseen influence possess control 
of my nervous sensibilities and the action of my 
mind, that for weeks and months together, it 
seemed to me as if my body and brain were actu- 
alized in the very life and intellect of some trans- 
cendent mind or "Deity of the Air." 

Every feeling and desire, every emotion natural 
to my being, every sense and ability which I pos- 
sessed, was pushed into activity, or masked and 
unmasked in a series of realizations, at once 
truly marvelous and impressive. 

My mind was in a condition, which is known 
to mesmerists, as a state in which there is an al- 
most perfect " psychologic subjectability of the 
senses." I retained but partial control of my 
own mental functions and powers. I was con- 
strained to utter words, sentences, prose and poe- 
try, in strange language and in syllabic forms, 
which I could not comprehend, and that for weeks 
and months in succession. I was pretty much the 
subject of another's will — the invisible Anhcone 
of the " life immortal." 

During the lengthened period of fifteen months, 
with the exception of short intervals, a most pow- 
erful as well as unpleasant pressure rested upon 
the top of my head. A strong current of mental 
elements, proceeding from my celestial magnetizer, 
descended upon and entered the various laby- 
rinths of my brain, grasping, as if by an astrin- 
gent force, its very atoms, and causing my 
thoughts to act in a manner conformable to, yet 



OR LIFE EXPERIENCES. 15 

quite different from their ordinary movements, as 
appointed under the directing influence of my 
own will. 

Gradually I began to hear a " still, small voice" 
whispering w r ords and sentences in my "mind. 
This speech or conversation, although given with- 
out vocal sounds, was the same in articulation, in 
every modulation of expression — as addressed to 
the consciousness of hearing affixed in the soul — 
as that given by oral communication. 

This was a most wonderful phenomenon, and 
for a time I doubted the reality of my own expe- 
rience. The idea that I could hear an invisible 
person or being addressing me, and that distinct- 
ly, and at the same time be engaged listening to 
the conversations of those near me in this life, was 
not only a source of anxiety and serious reflec- 
tion, but as well of sad and unsettled convictions. 
I soon become satisfied that, for some reason which 
I could not fully fathom, I had become the pos- 
sessor of a most marvelous gift — that of a two- 
fold or double hearing. The one was sonorous 
and common, the other was inaudible and of rare 
occurrence. Both were the same in their effect 
upon the ear, and both conveyed the same im- 
pression to the understanding, as a result of 
thought and utterance. 

I felt somewhat embarrassed in consequence of 
the newness of my situation. The impartations 
of the spirit soon become tedious and irksome. I 
began to think that, like Socrates, I was accom- 
panied by a " familiar demon," or that, like the 
Nazarene, during his prolonged temptation, I had 
fallen into questionable company, and was being 



16 AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL, 

betrayed by his atrocious majesty himself. It 
was not until many weeks had passed, and I had 
endured much pain and anguish of heart, that 
my inner hearing become fully and perfectly 
established. I was a great sufferer from the over- 
action of my mental forces. My thoughts were 
but measurably under my own control. I be- 
came much emaciated as a result of the influence 
which was held over my appetites and intellectual 
powers. The incipient conversations and speech 
to which I was obliged to listen, was often a great 
source of annoyance. It was, truly, the greatest 
punishment that I ever realized in all my life. 

I lost forty- one pounds of flesh while I was 
passing through this strange transition in psy- 
chology. The pressure upon the top of my head 
became so great at times, that I adopted the plan 
of wearing a heavy mask for self-protection. I 
was also very angry at intervals, in spite of 
myself, and abused the agents who so persist- 
ently domineered over the action of my senses. I 
here frankly acknowledge that I harrowed up the 
4 'Kings' English," and forgot every " Christian 
precept" while in this peculiar mental mood. 

The " invisibles" bestowed upon me the cus- 
tomary chastisement for an approach to the real, 
as regards a knowledge of the "future life."* 
While being benefited in mind I was likewise be- 
ing cajoled by words of promise and flattery. I 
knew my own situation very well, but was unable 
to gain relief. In a serious passion of purpose I 
concluded to rid myself of the whole spiritual 

* History furnishes no instance where a person, receiving 
gifts of this nature, has not had to endure similar trials. 



OR LIFE EXPERIENCES. 17 

business, and return once more, if possible, to my 
normal and natural state of mind. 

I was sad and subdued, but as willful as Caesar. 
In my distress and anxiety I took up my pen and 
appealed to Andrew Jackson Davis, the distin- 
guished author and seer, by letter, for advice and 
counsel. Mr. Davis maintained a very ominous 
silence. One day, several weeks after I had writ- 
ten him, however, I received a very pleasant letter 
from his wife. It was a source of comfort to my 
care-worn and hopeless spirit, but it afforded me 
no relief from the mental trials which so dis- 
tressed and annoyed me. At the time to which I 
allude, I would willingly have sacrificed all I 
possessed in the world to have secured my free- 
dom from spirit control. 

My condition was truly lamentable. My 
thoughts were propelled into rapid and incessant 
action, day after day and week after week, with- 
out regard to my feelings or desires. This was the 
state of mind which I realized most of the time, 
while awake ; when I slept I became entranced, 
and my senses were exalted or carried into vis- 
ions, the most ecstatic and grand. 

Four months subsequent to the time when I 
wrote to Mr. Davis, I was, in good part, relieved 
from the unpleasantness which pertained to my 
psychological realizations. I had gazed into the 
heavens with spirit-awakened sight, or as per- 
mitted under the restraints enforced by the 
Kamoioanse* The laws of mind, the origin and 
destiny of man, the Spirit-world, its place and 

* Supervisors of the guardian realm. 



18 AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL, 

position, as likewise, the future of the departed, 
were questions which had been met and answered 
to my entire satisfaction. 

Thus the brother, whom I had loved in my 
youth, had returned and spoken with me from 
his immortal home. He had taught me, by a 
severe lesson, not only that his life had been made 
secure in a higher sphere of existence, but, that 
to commune with me in the full freedom of speech, 
was an act reprehensible in the presence of the 
Ohoamoni * of the Air. 

I was now contented but not happy. I had 
been permitted to gaze ttirough the darksome 
folds of outer nature into the realm beyond ; and 
while I had learned many things which tended to 
exalt my feelings and improve my understand- 
ing, I had, likewise, discovered very serious cause 
for trouble and suffering in "the life to come.' y 
Matters were not all pleasant and agreeable "over 
the border," as I had hoped that they might 
be. The Spirit-land, I found, was a home of 
misery as well as of blessedness. I saw that the 
Christian's idea of "retribution" hereafter, was 
in a measure true ; that the soul, as a conscious 
entity, was constantly reprehended, both through 
observation and knowledge gained. 

Among the ToIena,\ on the heights of Com- 
lan,% not far from my earthly home, my brother 
lived. His life, I perceived, had been greatly 
changed. His appearance was not as it had been. 



* A wise fraternity in Spirit-life, who manifest opposition 
to " familiar " or unremedial intercourse with mortals. 
t Those who bend downward in sympathy. 
% An aerial stratification where numerous spirits dwell. 



OR LIFE EXPERIENCES. 19 

His soul-body was unlike the former physical 
structure. I recognized his nearness through 
imparted sympathy. Although unseen, I could 
detect his presence by a kindred similarity of 
sense, of speech, of intonation and utterance ; 
even as we sometimes know a friend by his walk, 
or some peculiar habit, so, at times, I could real- 
ize my brother's approach and know of his atten- 
tions.* 

But what was the cause of his return to the mun- 
dane world ? What had induced him to reveal 
to me so much of the nature of his life, as a spirit 
in the " immortal sphere beyond ? " I was both 
grief-stricken and surprised. My mind was over- 
whelmed with joy and astonishment. I wondered 
why others were not permitted to hold com- 
munion with the departed, in a manner similar to 
myself. I thought of the Christian Apostles at- 
tended by their " angel visitants." I thought of 
Socrates with his " demon guide." I remembered 
Swedenborg with his accompanying " spirit- 
guard" and " wonderful visions." 

Was I to be the recipient of angel favors ? Was 
I to suffer for having received a knowledge of my 
immortal destiny ? I had already experienced a 
serious inconvenience for having attempted to 
reach that object. How long was I to be teased 
and tried ? How long was I to be led on in un- 
certainty of my fate ? 

* It is customary with the dead to represent themselves, 
commonly— both in dreams and visions— as they appeared 
in the physical form upon earth. This is done so that we 
may recognize them. The question, " What is the real form 
of the spirit," is one of serious moment, and one which the 
writer has referred to, briefly, in the essay in this pamphlet 
entitled the " Immersed Life." 



20 AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL, 

I remembered the Scriptures, and how Jesus of 
Nazareth was led up into a high mountain to be 
"tempted", by the "Evil One." I thought of 
Jacob, and how he wrestled with the angel at 
Penial. My mind reverted to Swedenborg's first 
vision, in which he was taunted by the Devil — 
who appeared in one corner of the room in which 
he was dining — for eating too much supper. I 
remembered the phantasmagorical figures seen by 
the half-entranced M. Mcoli. I thought of A. J. 
Davis, and of his traveling upwards of eighty 
miles — over the hills and through the valleys west 
of the Hudson river, near Poughkeepsie, N. Y. 
— in a very brief period of time, while in a trance. 
I was reminded of the words of Job: "Then thou 
scarest me with dreams, and terrifiest me through 
visions," and I wondered at what had passed. 

Were my trials and vexations to be like unto 
theirs? Were the lessons imparted to my mind, 
from spirit sources, to become a cause of smother- 
ed misery ? I began to see that it cost pains and 
penalties, to deal with the dead. 

I reflected upon the subject of my position and 
circumstances in life. I thought of my happy 
home and its pleasant surroundings, of my wife 
and children, and friends, and I wept with fear 
and grief. 

My family were anxious for my welfare. I had 
imparted to them, as far as I was able, a knowl- 
edge of my situation, and the discoveries which I 
had made. They were desirous to have me relin- 
quish all relationship with the spiritual oppor- 
tunities of my life. I was willing to gratify them 
as well as to arrive at some settled state of mind. 



OR LIFE EXPERIENCES. 21 

But how was it to be accomplished ? I was a 
subject of psychology, of somnambulism, of 
trance, of natural clairvoyance, of spirit-hearing. 
What could I do? The instrument is not the 
chooser of the music to which it gives expression. 
I could not consistently forbid a power which 
had quietly led me on in life with a guardian pur- 
pose, which, from my childhood, had guided my 
footsteps, in kindness, and with success, to me, 
in my dealings with the world. 

My researches had proved to my entire satis- 
faction, that the human soul was immortal, or 
continued to exist, with conscious knowledge of 
its own identity after death. I was fully persuad- 
ed, in my own mind, that my brother lived. His 
return to, and communion with me, was as unex- 
pected as it was marvelous or unusual in the com- 
mon course of individual experience. There 
was something mysterious in his very presence, 
and especially in his condescension; which, al- 
though not always familiar, was kindly accessi- 
ble. 

But what was his object? Did he simply wish 
to let me know that he lived ? Had he any bless- 
ing to confer? Had he any secret to reveal? 
Aye ; it was his knowledge, gained by observa- 
tion, by watching the movements of my mental 
forces, during many years, that the blow which 
he had inflicted upon me, by accident, with the 
ball-club, in my youth, had left a lasting and in- 
jurious impression upon my memory, or its foci 
of concentration. 

One day as I sat musing upon what had passed,, 
lie very pleasantly spoke to me and said : — 



22 AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL, 

"My brother, we are living in quiet and peace- 
ful enjoyment in the Hemeoni of the 'superior 
realm. 5 Your sisters, Caroline, Jennett and Ju- 
lia, together with myself, have remained in our 
respective aerial Jottans, during most of the time 
since our departure from the terrestrial world. 
Sometimes we have wandered, for a season, over 
the heights of the atmosphere, to view the various 
races and nations of the earth, but usually the 
home of our past worldly cares, friendships, at- 
tachments and devotion, is the sacred Syzygian 
place, to which we are confidently bound, in the 
performance of guardian duties. 

"I come back to you, my brother, through 
obedience to a feeling or principle of mind, quite 
well understood, but seldom made practical in 
human life. The unfortunate blow which you 
received at my hands, when a boy, and which 
temporarily deprived you of your consciousness, 
gave me much cause for distress and uneasiness 
when I became a spirit. 

"Some four years after my entrance into the 
bright realm of immortality, a friend and associ- 
ate, in whom I placed both trust and confidence, 
pointed out to me in the movements of your mind, 
a deflection in the power of memory, which I dis- 
covered was caused by that unhappy circum- 
stance. My soul bowed down in sorrow when I 
realized what I had done, and I resolved that I 
would serve you with greater freedom, for the sad 
fate which resulted, from a blow. 

"It was not this alone, however, which induced 
me to speak with you. There are, still, other 
reasons which time may reveal. Be peaceful, 



OR LIFE EXPERIENCES. 23 

quiet, kind, generous and just, and you will real- 
ize greater happiness from our presence, and be 
more contented and better blessed in mind. 

" When we think it advisable we will grant you 
a commission to aid in disseminating a better 
knowledge of our state of existence. We will 
produce phenomena in your presence, and sup- 
ply other suggestive means to prove that we not 
only live, but that we often approach and render 
valuable assistance to our trusting friends upon 
earth. 

"The spirit, my brother, is a law unto itself. 
In our life the Homonse, or ministers defacto in 
our medewansa, being worthy counselors, in all 
that concerns our relationship to mankind, justly 
hamper, by rules of mystery, that familiarity in 
intercourse with us, which the unthoughtful and 
the unwise among men would seem to solicit. 

"No case of absolutely free and unrestrained 
intercourse as between the two worlds, was ever 
yet permitted. The guard of Konovorson, a 
dutiful spirit soldiery — in a mental sense — preside 
over all the interests which relate to our com- 
munion with mankind, and we all quietly and 
willingly obey the decisions which they demand 
to have enforced. At the present time there is 
somewhat of a relaxation, however, in regard to 
these matters, and more freedom is allowed to the 
' guardian hosts of the air.' 

"As concerns our wisdom, it is, truly, unknown 
to man. We are ever happy to speak a kindly 
word with those who approach us in an earnest 
and worthy manner ; still, our intercourse with the 
nether sphere, is, as it must ever continue to be, 



24 AUTOBIOG RAP HIC AL, 

governed by our situation and the knowledge 
which we possess of individual needs and charac- 
teristics. 

"The felicitous privilege of existence which we 
inherit, being — to mankind — inappreciable, is 
generally looked upon as an insecure expectation. 
Many, as we observe, even doubt the possibility 
of an ' immortal life. 5 Sorrowfully, though I 
say it, money is made 'the king in all council,' 
and the obligations which repose in its use, to 
surely combine to suppress the truth as well as to 
stultify the operations of justice. 

"The turbid power of wealth, and the distinc- 
tions which its possession confers, are a sad com- 
ment upon human intelligence and practical right- 
eousness. The angels of the Parinola* must 
long continue to weep over the arrogance and 
folly of men, if money is not confined to the more 
legitimate uses to which it may be applied. We 
hope, that in a few years, the people of the earth 
will be willing to listen to our 'better counsels,' 
and be guided to a haven of safety, in all their 
dealings with each other. The work of reforma- 
tion is likely to try the strongest hearts, but we 
confidently believe that reason will triumph, and 
that wisdom will eventually preside over all the 
interests which pertain to the lot of mortals. 

"Be patient, my brother, trusting in righteous- 
ness as a dominant law. Through friendship, 
with us, you have learned that there is no death. 
You have listened to the 'still, small voice' of 
the 'ministering watcher' above. When you 



* The dwelling place of many long-time residents over the 
Garth. Home of exalted equality. 



OR LIFE EXPERIENCES. 25 

ask, we answer. Be at peace with yourself and 
the world, and fear not." 

In concluding this narrative of my personal ex- 
perience — a statement which is necessarily very 
brief— I will but add that as I was born a som- 
nambule, so, by the aid of another, I have at- 
tained to that condition of mind w^hich is known 
or designated as " natural clairvoyance." At 
times I am the recipient of the most delightful as 
well as the most suggestive visions. I also hear 
the dead speak to me, whenever, by request or 
desire, I solicit their conversations. So far as 
visions are concerned I little regard them as re- 
sponsible in what they often represent. While 
they are, many times, grand, beautiful and in- 
structive, they are, no doubt, purely a result of 
the transmission and imprinting of thought — 
through will-force or psychologic processes — up- 
on the mind of the sensitive subject of trance. 
This is done by the spirit guardian, who is ever 
near. Dreams are of the same nature. These 
are imparted to the mind in the same manner, 
but are, usually, a good deal manipulated by the 
invisible operator, to conceal his own presence, 
which is the wisdom of the spirit. As regards 
Clair audiance or " spirit hearing,"* it is more 
gratifying and responsible — affording means for 
pleasant and agreeable communion with our de- 
parted friends, and yet, this gift is not without its 
pains and penalties, and, in certainty, can not be- 
come very common among men. 

* The author has not yet placed himself in a position to 
use his " spirit-hearing " for the gratification of others, save 
in a few instances. It is now his pleasure to think, how- 
ever, that, ere long, he may be so situated that he can. 



26 AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL, 

It is now nearly six years since I first listened 
to the speech of spirits. Sometimes they impart 
their ideas and thoughts without the use of 
words, at others by the use of language, as we 
do in common conversation among ourselves. 
There is a wide difference between these two 
methods of communication. The first is pure, 
representing exactly what the mind wishes to 
convey; the second is subject, of course, to all 
the variable and deceptive meanings which the 
use of words engenders or enables the mind to 
employ. 

My personal realizations have been the cause of 
considerable self- suffering. I find that it is not 
"all gold that glitters." To be a Spiritualist is a 
very easy matter, but to possess the gifts of a 
seer is a dear-bought privilege, whatever may be 
the opinions of the uninitiated in regard to the 
matter. 

So far as I am individually concerned, if what 
I have herein stated is true, the reader will readily 
concede that, in all probability, I have made 
some little progress in regard to discoveries which 
relate to a " future life." 

This is, indeed, true ; and yet I am reluctant 
to communicate much that I have learned, or to 
openly reveal the nature of the knowledge which 
I have gained. 

Suffice it to say, that, although I am compelled 
to differ with some of the best thinkers, seers and 
philosophers of the past, as well as of the present 
time, and that, in regard to several very import- 
ant questions, I am, nevertheless, quite unwilling j 
to engage in any wrangle of words over spiritual 



OR LIFE EXPERIENCES. 27 

matters, and have not the slightest wish to change 
the religious opinions of others, save in so far as 
truth and evidence may substantiate the wisdom 
of such a purpose. 

I give the facts, as herein presented, for the 
benefit of those who desire to investigate mental 
or metaphysical phenomena, and I sincerely trust 
that, in so doing, I shall have rendered some ser- 
vice to the world. 



28 



THE IMMERSED LIFE, 



A PHILOSOPHICAL DISSERTATION UPON THE STATE 
OF THE DEAD. 



The subject of the condition of the immortal 
spirit, its manner of life and power of locomo- 
tion, are themes of thought, which, although 
somewhat difficult of pursuit, are, nevertheless, 
really deserving of our most serious and earnest 
attention. 

While it is true that the consideration of any 
and all metaphysical problems, inevitably leads 
the mind into realms of irksome and discour- 
aging research, yet, inasmuch as the laws of 
nature are everywhere a unit in their application 
to and control of living objects, and as a principle 
of analogy is inseparably associated with the 
movements of matter, in all of its diversified 
forms, we may no doubt arrive at many just and 
legitimate conclusions concerning them, even 
without the benefit of sight, by processes of rea- 
soning alone. 

It is hardly possible to conceive of, or realize, 
what the human soul or spirit is, yet certain we 
are that it is organically formed, that it is a coun- 



THE STATE OF THE DEAD. 29 

terpart of the material body, and a unification of 
the life-elements of nature. 

Knowledge, thought, reflection, personal con- 
sciousness and activity could not exist without 
some kind of organic form through which to find 
expression. 

This is not only the case with the spirit in its 
connection with the external world, but the same 
conditions are equally required, and the same ar- 
gument will equally apply to the death-delivered 
mind or individual. 

The atmosphere of the earth is a transparent 
medium. We can not see its substance, although 
we realize its presence. It is a vast body of 
limpid ethers, yet it is wholly beyond the reach 
of our vision. 

The human soul or spirit is also beyond the 
reach of outward observation, but that it has a 
method of existence and a form peculiar to itself, 
is as well to be inferred, and as unquestionably 
true, as though the whole matter were apparent 
to the sense of sight. 

As the ocean, with its tumbling waters, contains 
innumerable organic forms, which are conditioned 
to life in its ever-changing elements, so, invisible 
to our perception, may the all-encompassing 
aerial realm, beyond the clouds, be peopled by 
communities of unseen spirit-beings, or by na- 
tions corresponding to those of the earth. 

But upon the hypotheses of the presence of im- 
mortal dwellers in the surrounding atmosphere of 
our planet, we are unavoidably led to the conclu- 
sion, that the form of the spirit must be essen- 
tially changed, so far as its resemblance to the 



30 THE IMMERSED LIFE. 

mortal body is concerned, in order to meet the 
demands of a purely immersed state of life. 

Andrew Jackson Davis has stated, in one of 
his volumes, "That a stratum of atmosphere, 
more or less dense, is always necessary for the 
spiritual organism to stand or walk upon," there- 
by implying that spirits are not only possessed of 
legs and feet, but that their means of locomotion 
is dependent upon their use. 

Now let us examine this proposition, and see 
whether it agrees with reason, or is likely to be- 
come established as true, in the light of probable 
cause and effect. Let us see how it will appear 
as compared with an earthly condition of exist- 
ence, which is fixed and local, and one which is 
purely transient and unstable, as that of living in 
an ever restless or moving medium. 

Upon the earth we can stand still or move at 
our pleasure. We can lie down to rest and when 
we wake we find ourselves in the same place. 
Now, how is it with the spirit ? It is in the air. 
It is not open but within a sea of ethers, which 
are in constant motion. 

There is nothing in space to take hold of or lay 
down by. There is not a material object visible 
in the whole realm of the aerial sea above us. 
Even the clouds find no place for delay. 

What is there in the air for a spirit to stand 
upon \ Aye ; but you say, the air itself. Nay ! 
it were impossible ! It would move from beneath 
your feet, and, moreover, the spirit is, or must be, 
itself, kept constantly in motion by the wafting 
power of its ever unsettled elements. 

A stratum of air, we are told, is necessary for 



THE STATE OF THE DEAD. 31 

the spirit to stand or walk upon. Is there any 
safety in a proposition so vague and indefinite ? 

The atmosphere is wholly of a conformable na- 
ture, as well as transitory and interblending in 
every part. It has no surfacial layers in any 
local sense. 

There are no doubt aerial currents as there are 
ocean streams, and it is well known, that in ele- 
vated regions, the air is more pure and refined 
than in positions near the surface of the earth. 

But this does not change the nature of the case. 
Refined matter in motion and granulated sub- 
stance in a state of inertia or repose, are two very 
different things. We know that we can walk and 
that we can stand, because we rest upon a solid 
basis ; but to suppose that a spirit is subject to 
corresponding conditions, would be to put the 
finishing stroke of folly upon all arguments of 
inference or analogy, and, moreover, such an hy- 
pothesis is as needless, as in the light of nature's 
rigid laws, it is absurd and insecure. 

Every living thing in creation is adapted to its 
peculiar form and state of existence, and the Di- 
vine builder has, in every case, appointed means 
exactly suited to meet the purpose and privilege 
of being, and this principle will, no doubt, apply 
quite as well to the living spirit in immortal 
realms as to the visible creatures of the external 
world. 

When, in the event of death, the soul is re- 
leased from its material covering, and rises up 
into the atmosphere to dwell, if ever such an 
event takes place, it is self-evident, that the change 
thus experienced, is brought about through con- 



32 THE IMMERSED LIFE. 

formity to established law, and that every result 
or attendant circumstance is, or should be, per- 
fectly consistent therewith. To live within the 
open sea of flowing ethers, which surround the 
terrestrial world, or even in the space beyond, 
would require a most marvelous revolution, not 
only in the ordinations and appointments of life, 
but in the form of the spirit as compared to the 
physical body. 

There are two principles, represented in the 
out- workings of the system of nature, which must 
be complied with, by all creatures that live either 
a temporary or permanent life within moving 
spheres— as water and air. One of these is the 
existence of a law of equilibrium, as between the 
physical body and the water or atmosphere where- 
in they exist ; the other, is the adaptation of the 
dependent form to the various grades of specific 
gravity, which belong to the different liquids and 
fluids, which are the mediums of contaminate 
life. 

For example, consider the variability of the 
tribes of the sea. They are possessed of marked 
and marvelous distinctions ; and although residing 
in an element essentially uniform in its general 
qualities, still they are separated into numerous 
divisions, and confined to special localities. Some 
live in small streams, others in large rivers ; some 
in marshes, others in bays and lakes ; some in 
fresh water, while others are restricted to that of 
a more dense and briny quality. The waters of 
Oneida Lake, for example, are peculiarly adapted 
to the development and life of the Catfish, the Eel 
and the Bull-head, while the pure springs, streams 



THE STATE OF THE DEAD. 33 

and lakes, of more northern New York, are peo- 
pled, almost exclusively, by the Salmon and the 
Speckled Trout. 

Then, again, we see that, as the fishes live in a 
restless medium, they are peculiarly adapted to 
that form of existence which they have received 
at the hand of nature. The suspension of fish in 
water, their ability to float in it without sinking 
to the bottom, like a piece of lead or other heavy 
substance, is owing to the fact that their bodies 
are so formed as to rest in equilibrium of weight 
anywhere within its confines. 

The fish species are uniformly buoyed up by 
the water, for ' the reason that they have been 
created in a manner well adapted to life in that 
liquid. But to meet every difficulty in the case, 
such as the variability of gravity or that which 
arises from water in turbulent motion, these ani- 
mals have been provided with an instrument or 
bladder, which receives or emits atmospheric air, 
according to circumstances and their situation. 

What a wonderful provision ! What a remark- 
able gift from the hand of the Divine maker, is 
this mechanical artificeum, in the middle of the 
fishes' body, which can be so easily contracted 
or expanded at pleasure. "The fishes," says the 
learned Borelli, " are better and easier sustained 
by the water, in which they live, than we are by 
the earth upon which we tread. They have not 
the fatigue of supporting their own weight as we 
have, need no feet, like quadrupeds and fowls, 
and experience no lassitude from standing." 

Thus we see how nicely adapted all water-abid- 
ing animals are to the medium of life in which 



34 THE IMMERSED LIFE. 

they exist. The water is their home, and in it 
they find comfort and happiness. But suppose 
we take a fish irom the limpid stream in which it 
is so comfortable, and clipping its ventral fins close 
to its body, return it again to its native element. 
What do we discover ? Only this ! a fish having 
no power to support an upright position. By the 
brandishing of its tail it is thrown forward, but it 
turns and it twists, and its rectilinear course and 
uprightness can no longer be maintained. In this 
we are reminded of the grandeur of that system 
of nature which so perfectly provides means to 
meet all existing demands. 

But what of the released spirit ? What of the 
immortal soul that has parted from its terrestrial 
moorings % The atmosphere is its inevitable home, 
at all events, for many years, and, perhaps, for 
centuries. The qualities of atmospheric air are 
peculiarly combinaceous and translucent. It is 
780 times lighter than water, and the constituent 
ingredients of which it is composed, vary, as we 
rise from the surface of the earth. 

Air is a purely invisible medium, possessing 
both the qualities of weight and compressibility. 
Its tendency to a downward pressure, and the 
effect of that pressure upon any given object, is 
altogether determined by the character of the ob- 
ject itself, and, then again, we find that this prin- 
ciple of pressure decreases as we ascend moun- 
tainous elevations or rise in a balloon. 

The smoke which ascends from the household 
chimney, or which rises from the burning forest, 
mounts the atmosphere to a certain altitude, 
which may be called its balancing position, and 



THE STATE OF THE DEAD. 35 

there it rests or floats at ease. 

From this it will appear, that invisible beings, 
who may inhabit the aerial regions above us in 
countless numbers, although unseen and inscruta- 
ble to our comprehension, must necessarily con- 
form to fixed laws of life — to conditions which 
pertain to matter in its more refined and impon- 
derable forms. 

The question of the situation of the Spirit- 
world, the manner in which spirits live, and the 
organic form with which they are possessed or 
endowed, are all interesting subjects for our con- 
templation. 

To the consistent thinker there is no longer any 
doubt as to the materiality of the elements of 
mind. The activity of the faculties of thought, 
the stern edicts of the principle of will, in its con- 
trol of the physical form and contention with out- 
ward nature, furnish satisfactory evidence of its 
substantial characteristics. 

To suppose, as many do, that the spirit or mind 
is in every sense immaterial, is to conclude that its 
existence is lost in its own refinement, or rendered 
inconceivable as a result of the attenuation of its 
own substance. But this is not true. The spirit 
is a being of parts, and, like every creature in the 
temple of the universe, must hold to its own form 
of being ; and, although it has passed beyond the 
reach of outward perception, it is the more won- 
derful as the recipient of a fluidescent destiny in 
more exalted realms. 

When we are informed, as we often are, by many 
sincere and well meaning thinkers, that, upon 
our departure from the external world, we are at 



36 THE IMMEESED LIFE. 

liberty to traverse indiscriminately the boundless 
dominions of the Infinite universe, we have only 
to look to the fundamental principles governing 
matter in its diversified forms, and its established 
methods of association, to realize the utter falla- 
ciousness of such a statement. 

All things existing upon the surface of the 
earth are fashioned from the material ingredients 
of which it is composed. The centralization of 
the spiritized elements of the mind, is a result 
brought about by organic growth, and these ele- 
ments are quite as dependent upon nature, for 
support and continuance in life, as the grosser 
substance of the corporeal body itself. 

We may imagine that the departed soul is free, 
chaste, and unrestrained in its privilege of being ; 
that it is superior to the influences which hold a 
universe in subjection, or which control matter in 
its more exalted states of refinement ; but such 
an inference is demonstrably false, in view of the 
fact, that there is no place for relief from the 
forces and powers of creation anywhere within 
the boundless ocean of immensity. 

The spirit, we say, is organically formed. It 
rises from the earth to dwell in a region of aerial 
joys and pleasures, but it can not travel beyond 
that position which the "line of life" deter- 
mines.* There is a "stay law," regulating and 
limiting, to strict boundaries, every particle of 
substance of which our planet is composed. The 
stratifications of the earth, as likewise the concen- 

* See sketch, by Prof. Louis Agassiz, on the subject of 
* The Natural Provinces of the Animal World," in a work 
entitled, " Types of Mankind/' 



THE STATE OF THE DEAD. 37 

trie belts of the surrounding atmosphere, are 
rigidly held to their place and position by bind- 
ing laws, or by their inherent gravitational force. 

All living creatures, as we have before inti- 
mated, receive the blessing of existence within a 
confined radius or sphere, beyond which they 
can not reach, above which they can not rise. 
When the spirit is freed from its casket of clay, 
and goes out to enjoy the successes which attend 
its mission in a new and improved form of exist- 
ence, we may say that it has triumphed, that it has 
won a great and substantial victory, that it has, 
in the fullest degree, mastered the imperfections 
which belong to outward life ; but we may not 
say that it is absolutely free, or, that it is not con- 
fined to regions and positions determined by its 
condition as a being of dependent life. 

The action of light and heat, the force of gravi- 
ty, or the laws of attraction and repulsion, are 
omnipotent influences, and control every particle 
of matter in existence. The alluvial soils cling to 
the surface of the earth, the waters repose upon 
its bosom, while the mists and clouds rise and 
float along the arch of the sky, within the limit 
determined by their density and composition. 

All refined elements, all spiritized ingredi- 
ents, must inevitably obey the commands of 
mother nature. When the solid substance of 
gold, silver, iron, or any other metal, is rendered 
so hot, by fire or electrical transmission, as to 
become wholly volatilized, passing away and dis- 
appearing from our sight in the surrounding air 
— as boiling water evaporates and floats away un- 
seen — it only finds a new place in creation, a new 



38 THE IMMERSED LIFE. 

position in the vast arcana of material relation- 
ships, to which it is assigned by associative and 
governing principles of power latent in all atoms. 

The hnman spirit is an organization of the 
Reneze * of matter, and as such, can be bnt little 
more refined than the ethers and substances from 
which it derives its support and maintenance in 
being. The electric element which flouts and 
plays in the sky with maddening force, which 
leaps from cloud to cloud with fierce motion, 
which decends to the earth with strength to pros- 
trate the giant forms of the forest, is, perhaps, 
quite as refined as mental principles, or the active 
energy of the nervous system. Certain we are, 
that it is equally invisible to our perception, as 
an associative and permeating force, and, as 
well, in nature equally remote from our compre- 
hension. 

What a happy idea it is to think, that when we 
leave the material body behind us, in the event of 
death, we shall become beings of ethereal life ; 
that the form which we shall then wear, will be so 
light, so buoyant, that we may rise to the most 
refined stratifications of the encompassing atmos- 
phere, there to rest in ease, comfort and happi- 
ness — floating, like the fish of the sea, in the rest- 
less rivers of the air, to gain a knowledge of the 
wisdom of Grod. 

Bat, perhaps we may think that we can escape 
the decrees of omnipotence, that we can override 
the laws of creation, and stand above every influ- 
ence which holds a universe in restraint. Per- 
haps we may think that the spirit is nothing^ is 

* Rei levying life. 



THE STATE OF THE DEAD. 39 

not substance, is simply an unsubstantial vapor, 
an ideal principle, which amounts to a defeat in 
whatever it is, or is not. 

To those who entertain such thoughts, or, who 
harbor such sentiments, there is a prospect for a 
strange disappointment in the future, for such are 
surely at fault in their discernment, and will, one 
day, reap the reward of their short-sightedness. 

The blue heavens above us are not an open 
void. The sky is not a vacuum in which only 
emptiness is to be found. Nature contains no 
waste places, no vacancies. 

The soil we tread upon is substance ! The water 
we drink is substance! The air we breathe is 
substance ! The vital life of the spirit is derived 
from the innate and essential essence of matter, 
and "the principle of will," which controls the 
organic intellect of the human mind, presents the 
self-evident demonstration of its accommodating 
materiality. 

It is neither a good reason to assert that a thing 
or a being does not exist because we do not see it, 
nor that it can not, and be invisible ; and it is a still 
greater evidence of folly to suppose that because 
a thing, substance or being is unseen, it is conse- 
quently immaterial, and has no place or purpose 
in the designs of creation. 

Spiritualism has clearly demonstrated the fact, 
that every human soul is immortal, and reason, 
following up the vast accumulation of evidence 
in its support, has established the concurrent fact, 
that the home of the immortal spirit is not, as it 
can not be, very distant from the earth. 

If spirits lived beyond the atmosphere of our 



40 THE IMMERSED LIFE. 

world— just think of it — they would, in order to 
become " ministering watchers," be obliged to 
travel at the rapid rate of nineteen miles per sec- 
ond ; one thousand one hundred and forty miles 
per hour ; thirteen thousand six hundred and 
eighty every day ; four hundred and sixty-four 
thousand and eighty every month ; five hundred 
and ninety-six millions every year, the actual 
distance which the earth describes in its annual 
orbit ; and even this is not all, for the rotary mo- 
tion of our planet would involve another move- 
ment of the spirit, in the circular line of the 
surrounding atmosphere, at the immense velocity 
of twenty-four thousand eight hundred and forty 
miles every twenty-four hours. 

What a marvelous sight it would be, were we 
permitted to look out through the eyes of the 
soul, and see the one hundred thousand persons, 
who depart from the earth every day in death, 
flying through space in the chase for life, and for 
the purpose of remaining near the mother world, 
and the dear friends left behind. 

Nay ! such thoughts are preposterous. As 
there is a life to succeed our present form of ex- 
istence, so sure is that life limited to the regions 
of the aerial ocean above our heads, at all events 
temporarily, and so sure are the beings who dwell 
therein, existing in some form well adapted to the 
refined medium which is their home. They stand 
upon no solid basis, but like the clouds which 
flee before the winds, they are probably subject 
to restrictions, in their altitudinal range, and 
float, rather than walk, above the conflicting 
powers which pertain to the mundane sphere. 



THE STATE OF THE DEAD. 41 

They are silent, because the interests of the 
earth and heaven require their silence. They are 
unseen because nature has so decided. But it is 
evident, that, in time, we shall be able to gain a 
more perfect knowledge of Spirit-life ; for, as 
mankind become wiser, they will inevitably dis- 
cern the true relation which exists between matter 
and spirit, between cause and effect, and compre- 
hend the action, if not the nature, of the un- 
swerving laws, which establish the identity and 
control the destiny of the immortal soul. 

When we contemplate the subject of a future 
life, we should be extremely shy of the acceptance 
of accommodating theories, should be wary in 
our research and reason, and never permit our- 
selves to be happified, so to speak, by flattery or 
the standard opinions of designing and artful 
thinkers. Even our love for the departed should 
not blind our perception, as against the interest 
of truth, nor cause us to receive an hypothesis, 
simply because it bears a genuine appearance or 
is hopefully gratifying. 

Mankind have sought refuge in a thousand 
varying theories, in strange and inadmissible views, 
concerning the event of death and the great here- 
after. Men have mourned and prayed, while 
women have sighed and wept over a fear of the 
grave, and the want of safety of the soul, on ac- 
count of individual faults and defects. 

Theology, serving humanity in the prerequisites 
of its own faith and ceremonials, has, in good part, 
banished from the domain of its literature and 
teachings, nearly every idea of freedom of thought 
or personal responsibility, presuming to ignore 



42 THE IMMERSED LIFE. 

the deductions arising from scientific inquiry, as 
well as tlie better rules of logical antithesis em- 
ployed in debate. The great question of a future 
life is, in popular theology, merely one of conjec- 
ture, of inference, of fashionable twaddle. It is 
not considered as one of the certainties and suc- 
cesses of nature — as fundamentally true, or as an 
inevitable gift of the organic laws of creation, but 
is the unsettled object of a Divine mysteriousuess, 
which is as captious as it is uncertain. 

The visions of the imagination have supplanted 
the actual in reflection. The common mind has 
not been able to understand or appreciate the 
value of comparative or critical evidence. The 
old has been revered instead of the new. The 
superstitious systems of the past have been re- 
ceived and fostered, through ignorance, selfish 
interest, and a vaunted conservation, without re- 
gard to the better demands of the human mind. 

The principle of reason is seldom allowed to 
fashion the adjuncts of power in the sphere of 
ecclesiastical action. It is only where science is 
brought to our aid, or gives us the benefit of her 
willing analyzations, it is only when mathematics 
assail the citadels of impertinent bigotry and pu- 
trescent religions, that we come to distinguish be- 
tween right and wrong, between truth and amia- 
ble falsehood, between the evidences which are 
self-supporting and the shams and fictions of time- 
honored lore and logic. 

The rationalistic philosophy of Spiritualism 
provides means for the demonstration of its prin- 
ciples. It adopts measures whereby we are ena- 
bled to free ourselves from religious and intellec- 



THE STATE OF THE DEAD. 43 

tual mistakes and blunders, from the foibles, fal- 
lacies, deceits and imperfections which pertain to 
credulity and human confidence. 

The knowledge that we are to inherit a super- 
terrestrial condition of being, as a result of the 
outworking sentence of Infinite law — that life is 
no specialty, but the gift of Divine wisdom, and 
eternally self-maintaining ; the idea that we may 
all comprehend, in a satisfactory degree, the na- 
ture of that life which we are to accept beyond 
the grave, the thought that we can contemplate it 
as a verity and understand it as a reality, that we 
can conceive of it by reflection, and reach 
it through analogy, perception, mental analysis, 
and methodical communion with the departed, 
are not only so many evidences of our superior 
success — the success of an enlightened Spiritual- 
ism — but, as well, a gauge for the relief of the 
world, from its false notions, time-abiding errors, 
and deeply channeled religious beliefs. 

It is one of the wise and beneficent purposes of 
the Supreme Ruler of nature, that we are to live 
and receive the schooling of "eternal experience," 
that we are to rise from the surface of the earth, 
when the spirit is separated from the physical 
body, in the event of death, and reside in more 
congenial and less conflicting relationships of be- 
ing. It is nature' s qualification that the human 
spirit is substance, that it is organically formed, 
and like all other forms, has its origin in the ag- 
gregation or "growth of sympathetic atoms, which 
combine under the most inscrutable chemical pro- 
cesses. 

It is not only evident that mental principles are 



44 THE IMMERSED LIFE. 

derived from the spirit of matter, in good part, 
but it is quite as certain that their centralized as- 
sociation in the conscious, organic mind, is sup- 
ported and maintained, in our present state of 
being, through incessantly replenishing action. 

The vital energy of life is constantly renewed 
from two sources ; the food of which we partake 
and the atmosphere which we inhale. Of the 
substance and the essence thus appropriated to 
our use, the immortal spirit is formed and per- 
fected in its. organic and ethereal nature. Thus, 
it is more than probable, that when the spirit 
abandons its casket of clay, and rises to reside in 
more exalted realms of life, it is still likely to 
remain dependent upon congenial atmospheric 
support, and can not fly away into any and all 
positions, situations and regions, to satisfy its 
capricious desires and ambitions. 

As well might we expect to find a South-sea 
Islander upon the snow-clad elevations of Mount 
Washington, there to remain, as an earth-born 
spirit beyond the awful, illimitable confines of 
the Milky- way. As well might we contemplate 
a sudden transfer of the populations of Asia to 
some broad continent of the western world, as to 
anticipate the meeting of earth's immortal hosts 
in some far off, indefinite realm of the heavens.* 
The destiny of all races and nations is the. same 
in import and design. We are provided with a 
spirit-home near our present place of abode, if at 
all, and that, no doubt, for many centuries. The 

* The author would not be understood as asserting that 
spirits can not pass over the inter-planetary spaces, or that 
they may not eventually live in space. 



THE STATE OF THE DEAD. 45 

earth's aerial ocean must be a surging sea of 
Life. The communities of the air must be far 
more numerous than those of the planetary 
sphere. Unseen billions of immortal souls must 
congregate in watchful attendance over us, guid- 
ing and guarding the interests of human house- 
holds. 

Nature is, indeed, a Divine Arbitrator, and for- 
bids confusion as much as she cherishes the wor- 
thy objects of place, use and consistency. There 
is no fallaciousness of purpose in the economy of 
creation. Every living thing is governed by fixed 
and unchangeable laws — is hampered and re- 
stricted, to limits wisely determined by the ac- 
cessory action of matter and its refined life. The 
stars weave and turn in their distant orbits, the 
planets roll and tumble through space, each be- 
ing held to its place and position, by a binding 
obligation which no power can molest or destroy, 
the all-controlling will of the Omnipotent mind. 

The fleecy comets traverse the open vista of the 
sky, through distances absolutely inconceivable, 
secreting themselves from our vision for hundreds 
and thousands of years, when, with that regu- 
larity which is ever affixed to the agencies of the 
Divine Spirit, they return to our view, submis- 
sively yielding to that influence which is held 
over them, as orbs of one common origin and 
family. 

The great belt which spans the heavens and 
sparkles with the glowing light of countless 
spheres, is forever steadfast in its suspended loca- 
tion. The wandering suns of immensity, as well 
as the multiplied atoms of which their bulky 



46 THE IMMERSED LIFE. 

forms are composed, are bound down by the 
rigid power of Supreme command, ever yielding 
to established laws, which holds them to their 
place and destiny. 

Wherefore, are we to suppose, that the liber- 
ated soul or spirit is wholly its own dictator, be- 
ing free from the hampering influence of Divine 
control, free to roam at large without the interposi- 
tion of a barrier to its own fancies and desires, 
when all other things, of which we have any 
knowledge, are held down by the force of mag- 
netic centralization in form and substance. 

It is not true! While the released soul may 
find a broader region, a wider dominion wherein 
to dwell, than was accorded to its experience 
while a resident upon the planetary world, it may 
not be presumed that its life is not overborne by 
the action of unalterable principles, or that it can 
will itself into a selfish monopoly of time, place, 
and space. 

Thus it is self-evident, that we are to live in 
the future, as beings of substantial form, of aerial 
existence, of conditioned happiness and restrain- 
ed desires, if nature's promises are true. In- 
stead of wading, as we do at present, at the bot- 
tom of a vast ocean of atmospheric fluids, to 
maintain life by contact with natural objects and 
things, we shall drop off the outward covering, 
the body of flesh and bone, and rise to live in the 
"sea of air" as creatures of immortal mould. 



47 



THE ONLY HOPE. 



A MESSAGE FROM THE INNER LIFE. 



The remarkable communication which is here- 
with presented, concerning the experience of a 
brother in Spirit-life, was imparted to my interior 
hearing in the early part of the winter of 1874. 
Its transmission required seven different sittings, 
which occupied, in all, some twenty evening 
hours. It was written nearly as herein given, the 
many new and singular words which it contains, 
receiving their orthographical construction from 
my own idea of plain spelling and utterance, 
rather than from their accurate enunciation as I 
heard them spoken — often hastily — by the spirit. 

To the reader we offer this message as one of 
the many wonderful evidences which tend to es- 
tablish the reality of an immortal state of exist- 
ence, and as an expression of the singular pro- 
cesses of mental effort and activity which pertain 
to educational research and training in that soul- 
realm toward which we are all tending, and of 
which, at best, in this world, we can form but a 
very imperfect conception. 



48 THE OJKTLY HOPE. 

btcother's MESSAGE. 

"When I first came to this world of beauty 
and refinement, my brother, I was not only sur- 
prised and delighted, but, as you would say, I 
was ' favorably disappointed ; ' for, having de- 
parted from the earth in that inaptitude of mind, 
which is so characteristic of outward life, I was 
overjoyed to realize the truth of my former belief 
in a 'future state of existence,' and in experi- 
encing a condition of being, so very different, yet, 
withal, so much more desirable and pleasant than 
I had anticipated. 

" When I had been but seven months with my 
beloved sister Caroline, whose care was given to 
bless my early realizations in this life, I could 
look back, and view my past relation to earthly 
interests with ample knowledge of the conse- 
quences which it involved. I found that exist- 
ence was not what I had supposed it to be. I 
discovered that it was not necessary to be quali- 
fied in order to reach the 'immortal realm' in 
safety. Looking to nature I could readily under- 
stand, that the 'gift of being,' was conferred up- 
on man as a result of the action of unswerving 
laws. I could discern the instrumentality which 
had produced and supported my existence upon 
earth, and, in all things, I found myself not less 
dependent upon the charity of omniscient pur- 
pose here. 

"As I became a spirit, so was I delighted with 
the consciousness of ' life immortal ; ' and al- 
though my individual ideas and opinions were 
wholly derived from the imperfect elements of 



A MESSAGE FROM THE I^^ER LIFE. 49 

education and contemplation, which I had real- 
ized and enjoyed as a result of personal desire 
and effort upon earth, still I lost no time in my 
endeavor to attain to that more gratifying condi- 
tion, in knowledge, and consequent happiness, 
which is ever to be found among the dwellers in 
the AJcseolza * of the Spirit-land. 

" When the day of my departure from my 
earthly home arrived, I was quite unconscious of 
the approach of the marvelous and important 
change which it was to be mine to experience. I 
had, it is true, long suffered from bodily dis- 
ease and weakness, and had lived in remote an- 
ticipation, if not fear, of the ever unwelcome event 
of death. In my most serious meditations, how- 
ever, I had not believed the final change to be so 
near, neither had I the remotest idea of the effect 
of physical dissolution in renewing the privilege 
of life in the immortal world. 

" The morning of my release from the thralldom 
of the gross material body which I had worn, I 
was enjoying an ojdinarily comfortable state of 
mind, little thinking that another hour or two 
would close my career as an earth-bound spirit, 
or that I should be restored to life, in this, to 
you, { unseen sphere of existence.' 

" When the sad moment arrived — which you so 
well remember, my dear brother— and which took 
me from you so suddenly, as the result of stran- 
gulation, f I was thrown into the deepest state of 



* The common home of the newly arisen spirit popula- 
tions which emanate from the earth. 

f From a rupture of the pulmonary artery. 



50 THE ONLY HOPE. 

mental anxiety and anguish, realizing all the emo- 
tions of sadness, doubt and despair. 

" In two minutes from the time I became aware 
of the presence or inflowing of blood into the air 
passages of my left lung, I was deprived of all 
consciousness, and not a sensation of any kind 
molested my thoughts or disturbed my slumber- 
ing faculties.* 

"The 'principle of will,' which is fundamental 
to all life, is either self-active in awakening the 
senses of the new-born spirit to consciousness, or, 
otherwise, is psychologically influential in arous- 
ing the elements of the spiritual organization to 
newness of being. Thus the process of trans- 
formation is established, and in due time the im- 
mortal mind is cut away from all connection with 
the physical form and the relationships which 
pertain to the material world. 

"I was personally unmindful of the change 
which was being effected in my condition, for 
something near an hour and thirty minutes. At 
the expiration of this period, and at the option of 
a guardian Izo^ I was released from the mortal 
body, wherein I had lived for so many years,;}: and 
in company with a number of friends, in Spirit- 

* My brother was sitting up in bed taking his morning's re- 
past from a salver, which had just been placed before him by 
my mother, the other members of our family being at break- 
fast in an adjoining room. He had been eating but a few 
moments when suddenly he cried out, "I am bleeding to 
death," and these were his last words, as he sunk back upon 
his pillow and expired. 

t A watchful and attentive spirit. Sometimes an accovr 
cheur, or one who attends upon the resurrection of the 
dead. 

% Nearly twenty-one. 



A MESSAGE FROM THE INNER LIFE. 51 

life, I was conveyed to the heights of Kareansa,* 
where for a season I was made comfortable by 
the kindly attentions of my beloved sisters. 

" While journeying with those who had come 
to aid me— in what constituted the needful re- 
quirements developed by my translation— from 
the place where my prostrate earthly body lay, 
to our dear sisters' home on the celestial plain of 
Monomanilla^ I was constantly thinking of the 
causes involved in the change which I had real- 
ized. Being, as yet, unacquainted with the Izo, 
who seemed to take the greatest immediate interest 
in my comfort and welfare, and feeling somewhat 
timid, owing to the newness of my situation, I 
did not, at first, venture to say anything ; but at 
length, borrowing courage from my curiosity, I 
reluctantly inquired : 

"'Who art thou, that with my beloved sister 
Caroline, hath so far considered my needs as to 
come to earth and escort me to my new home 
whither thou art going 1 ' 

"This inquiry was prompted by my feelings. 
I realized a sorrowful objection to, and could not 
see the propriety of being so soon compelled to de- 
part from my earthly home, and the dear friends 
whom I was obliged to leave behind. My sister 
smiled as she observed my uneasiness, while the 
robust Izo, likewise perceiving my anxiety, and 
being at the moment in seeming of fraternal, if not 
humorous thought, kindly replied : 

" 'We are only delegated to accompany thee to 

* Place of supine joy. 

+ A peopled stratum in aerial regions. 



52 THE 01STLY HOPE. 

a sister WaMon* where care and comfort are in 
reserve to meet the demands of thy necessities.' 

"I was now quite satisfied, and when I arrived 
at the place where my dear sisters were living, in 
all the joy and happiness of their interesting and 
exalted life, I was not only well cared for, but my 
spirit sisters both wept when in their heart-felt 
gratitude they contemplated my release from 
years of physical suffering. 

"I had not been long in the enjoyment of my 
repose, when feeling improved in my condition, 
and thinking, one evening, that I should like to 
know something concerning the Imon^ whom I 
could see moving in various directions along the 
great plain of Monomanilla, I remarked to sis- 
ter Caroline, with whom I was at the time in con- 
versation, thus: 

" 'May I journey to where the many Imo live, 
whom we can see from our WaMon moving to 
and fro in the azure heights over TaminoV% 

" Speaking thoughtfully, she answered and 
said: 

" 'It is not best, my dear brother, for you to go 
there alone, as the Poase § are only too gracious 
to be inconvenienced by the solicitations of a rising 
Kamaon\ When I can well resign my many 
duties in the Savizana^ or, at home, as you 
would say, I shall be pleased to accompany you 

* A temporary home where sorrow is abated. 

f Observers. A celestial people. 

% An intermediate sphere. 

§ Wise possessors, in a mental sense. 

| One restless in thought. 

^T The guardian's council station or realm. 



A MESSAGE FROM THE INJSTER LIFE. 53 

thither ; and we can then, not only enjoy our- 
selves temporarily, but may be benefited by a 
conference with these truly noble people — learn- 
ing something in regard to their refined manners 
and superior educational attainments.' 

" Until the time to which I here refer, it had 
not been my pleasure to leave my sister Caroline's 
presence. I really had not found a moment when 
I could, for the very good reason, that my new 
life had to be maintained in quietness and repose 
for several weeks after I became a spirit ; and al- 
though my lameness — which was the cause of my 
greatest misery upon earth — was now entirely re- 
moved,* I discovered that to conform to the cir- 
cumstances of my new situation, was not so easy 
a task as might be inferred without experience. 

" After a time, and upon a favorable occasion, 
I went with sister to visit the Imon in whom I had 
become so much interested, and who sojourn up- 
on the elysian plain of Monomanilla far to the 
westward of her aerial home. I was highly de- 
lighted with the pure and pleasant method of 
immersed conversation employed by them, when 
speaking with each other, or with those who visit 
them. I was also pleased to observe the graceful 
make-up and beauty of their many-colored 8Iia- 
netokas or 'garments of honor,' and in their 
charming Tolekas I found something to interest 
my curiosity as well as to surprise and instruct 
my mind. The Toleka is given or kept to ap- 
pease the misfortunes of the understanding. These 

* My brother was lame for upwards of three years with a 
scrofulous cancer near the left knee-joint. It brought on 
consumption, and eventually caused his death. 



54 THE ONLY HOPE. 

variable 'tokens' or Hoys of memory,' are but 
the ' symbols of thought ' subordinated to the in- 
terests of spirit elevation, and are made an offer- 
ing to the soul in its discernment of future blessed- 
ness. 

" Contemplating the happiness which those 
around me seemed to enjoy — realizing something of 
the beauty and perfection represented in the many 
new and singular objects which I beheld, I could 
not resist the impulse of a spontaneous desire, 
which came welling up from within my conscious- 
ness, to make my delight known ; and so I re- 
marked to a Zanamo who had been long a resi- 
dent on the Mase* in this sphere, that if he would 
receive and instruct me, I would remain with and 
subserve his recommendations. 

" Looking at me for a moment with a pleasant 
yet penetrating gaze he musingly replied : 

"'Will you be composed in mind' — he ob- 
served that I was inclined to irritability of thought 
— ' and endeavor to be kind and considerate ? ' 

"'Yes,' I answered, 'I will try and follow 
every good example and accept all worthy coun- 
sel.' 

"Again placing his eyes upon me with stead- 
fast look, as if entertaining a doubt in regard to 
the sincerity of my words, he quietly remarked : 

" 'Would you object to being consigned to our 
Losao, for a period, to study the ' mein ' in the 
opportunities and advantages of being V 

"The import of this question and the peculiar 

* The Mase appears to be a special home or location where 
the wise Zanamo live. They are discreet and stubborn 
thinkers. 



A MESSAGE FROM THE m NER LIFE. 55 

manner in which it was expressed — which can 
only be known to a spirit — were to me strongly 
indicative of distrust, for the Losao is a place of 
correction for all manner of mental defects or 
temperamental imperfections, and so I said : 

" ' Would you be pleased to take and try me V 

" Seeing the readiness with which I answered, 
yet feeling more inclined to question me than ac- 
commodate my over-anxious desires, he finally 
replied : 

" 'The truth is, you are so young in spirit, that 
I can not wisely comply with your request ; more- 
over, your kind, elder sister here, is blessed with 
much alacrity and good-will in this life, and it is 
well for you to abide with her.' 

"I was now convinced that the chances for my 
remaining with the Zanamo, or 4 wise and gifted 
student of nature,' were decidedly remote, and 
as my sister smiled at my ambition, I said, with a 
feeling of mortification and disappointment : 

"'I confess that my knowledge in regard to 
what it is best to do, is somewhat deficient, my 
dear Caroline, but I am not altogether hopeless, 
and, at your pleasure, I am quite satisfied to re- 
main on the Conseento* in our realm.' 

"We were engaged in observing the various 
peculiarities represented in the habits, manners 
and occupations of the spirits who dwell on the 
far-spreading Monomanilla, and were overjoyed 
by our happy experiences, when thinking that we 
had been absent quite long enough, we turned to 



* Con-se-en-to, a section of the Ak-se-al-za, to which refer- 
ence has been made. 



56 THE ONLY HOPE. 

make our way toward the place of sister's resi- 
dence. 

"In journeying homeward, so to speak, we were 
invited to visit the celestial plaza of Inza Kon- 
wehn, a place where good souls become exalted 
in wisdom, and where the well-inclined are chosen 
under an obligation to improve. This pleasant 
place of learning and progress is occupied by the 
thoughtful and righteous spirits of many nations. 
It was founded in honor of KonweTin, a good and 
noble soul, who always reposed the fullest confi- 
dence in the ' wise precepts ' of ' celestial gather- 
ings,' as a means for the promotion of moral and 
intellectual good. 

"All places of learning or of ' wise council,' are, 
in this life, only held to occupancy so long as 
they are made subservient to the purposes of in- 
struction, or the inculcation of useful and re- 
demptory precepts. When they are no longer 
thus used they become the common inheritance 
of the spirit Lanivo, or 'monitors from below.' 

" It is not our privilege to hold and dispose of 
property as is the custom upon earth. We are 
only privileged to restore that which nature gave 
for our comfort. We are free from all obligations 
which do not come within the bearing of mental 
compensation. 

"Thus you will observe that to become a res!- 
dent of the Spirit- world, is to be deprived of all 
wealth, save that which comes from the action, 
growth and elevation of the mind, and there is no 
way to change this mandate of Infinite Wisdom. 

"When we were living on the far-extending 
plain of Monomanilla, where I received my first 



A MESSAGE FROM THE INNER LIFE. 57 

lesson in the true knowledge of life — from one of 
the most considerate preceptors with whom I have 
ever met, a spirit Imo, of much good-will and 
happy purpose of mind, ever ready and willing 
to aid the well-intended desires of those who as- 
sociate together in the 'councils of the blest' — I 
was not called Jacob, as upon earth, but instead 
thereof I received the somewhat singular name 
of Somioni, w^hich refers to 'personal hope' as 
it pertains to existence in the 'future.' We say 
the 'only hope,' as applied to the individual, is 
an evidence or a promise of forthcoming knowl- 
edge and wisdom, the specific expression of which 
is given in the 'life.' This title is really of but 
temporary use, and is only applied to the Vauso y 
or 'anxious students,' who are urged by feelings 
of deep solicitude to seek the benefits of personal 
improvement. 

" When upon a time I visited the Vzoni of the 
Only Hope, where all spirit attendants are first 
instructed in the ways of immortal life, the Zanza 
or principle teacher, whose name was Orobine — he 
being then 'master in council' of the Foni, a 
body of young and impatient students — very 
pleasantly remarked to me : 

" 'Would you like to come and remain for a 
season with our Varivodo* and see if you can 
make yourself useful and happy ? Perhaps you 
may become more joyous and hopeful, in regard 
to the Divine Ordinations, as they relate to life 
and the future, by so doing.' 

"Meditating for a moment I earnestly answered 
and said : 

* Spirits of all shades of mind in advancement. 



58 THE O^L Y HOPE. 



u i' 



'I shall not only be pleased to conform to 
your ' desire,' but shall, as well, be thankful to 
be made acquainted with your anticipations of 
hope.' 

" Perceiving my thoughts and understanding 
my wishes, he again very calmly remarked : 

" ' When there is an opening in the Vessavi* of 
the Only Hope, it shall be yours to enjoy.' 

' ' I waited with patience for many months before 
I received permission to engage in the duties in- 
cumbent upon a student of this wonderful place of 
learning. When, however, I was admitted to the 
benefits and opportunities therein presented, I 
was soon employed in the most earnest thought 
and study, being at once guided by a Kuao,\ 
through the 'designs of observation,' a most 
marvelous lesson in this life. 

"The way I happened to go to the Only Hope 
for instruction, was this : Sister Caroline had sev- 
eral times accompanied me and sister Jennett 
thither, and I had become deeply interested in 
the methods of mind-culture therein pursued. I 
could observe, as I thought, that they were strict- 
ly in accordance with the best interests of mental 
well-being, and consequently I determined to 
patronize the fine advantages thus to be secured. 

"It was not understood by me, however, at 
that time, that it w^as a difficult task to accom- 
plish the objects of scholarship in that remarkable 
place of instruction ; but I soon discovered that I 
was greatly mistaken, for the Shanelon, or por- 
tion of the Only Hope where the students are 

* First department. Renewal of mind. 
f One accurate in perception. A teacher. 



A MESSAGE FROM THE IKETER LIFE. 59 

vivacious and unsubdued, is really a most trou- 
blesome place in which to receive the benefits of 
education ; and this is the more so, since the in- 
fluence of discipline sought to be made effective 
in the suppression of levity and various other 
forms of disorder, is really somewhat difficult to 
establish, even though managed by the strongest 
powers of foresight and wisdom. 

" Notwithstanding all this, however, the course 
of rudimentary studies therein pursued, is enjoy- 
able as well as ennobling, and those who are will- 
ing to conform to the rules and requirements 
which are connected therewith, never fail of being 
advanced in knowledge or benefited in mind. 

" There are altogether some fourteen hundred 
teachers in this 'aerial, mental infirmary,' and 
they are an earnest and dutiful vanguard of mind, 
ever ready to give the hand of fellowship to anx- 
ious seekers after truth, and in that, to bestow 
upon them, the gracious gifts and symbols of 
thought which are used— with caution and adapta- 
tion — to educate the young Matimo. 

"The manner in which these figurative gifts are 
used, as a source of expediency, in training the 
mental spheres — or, as you would say, faculties 
— to conditions of higher harmony and more re- 
sponsible action, is in a bestowal in doubtful meta- 
phor of thought. The Zanza addressing a mem- 
ber of his Foni or class, per se> perhaps, inquires 
if he will not accept a beautiful Toleka, which is, 
at the same time, held up before the mind, for ob- 
servation. 

"If the student is a new comer, and is not cir- 
cumspect in comprehension,^ he will not be likely 



60 THE ONLY HOPE. 

to ask any questions, but simply saying : c I am 
happy to be so comforted, 5 or something to that 
effect ; he is allowed to receive it, being thus far, 
wholly uninstructed as to the chastening signifi- 
cation, or secret meaning represented by the 
4 token.' 

"When the gift has been accepted, the teacher, 
or a Lataon — one who educates by perplexing 
methods — inquires of the student as to the reason 
of his accepting it. 

"To this the answer — more than likely given in 
haste or indiscretion — is to the effect, 'that it 
looked so attractive, or appeared so inviting,' or 
otherwise, ' I thought you gave it out of a com- 
forting consideration.' 

"To this the preceptor would again very quiet- 
ly reply : 

" 'The Toleka, which you hold, I fear, is not 
for thee, for only those who can comprehend its 
use and real signification can profitably retain it 
as their own.' 

"To this the thought- seeking and industrious 
Matimo might, with propriety, again respond : 

" 'I was not informed that there were reserved 
conditions attached to the acceptance of the To- 
lelm: 

"This remark might, perhaps, be regarded as 
indicative of a superficial perception, hence the 
Lataon would be likely to remark : 

"'I presume you have not given the subject, 
symbolized by the 'token,' that close attention 
which it deserves. There is a redemptory signifi- 
cation embodied in the form and make-up of the 
ToleTea, which those only who are discerning, can 



A MESSAGE FROM THE INKER LIFE. 61 

readily understand. Music, you know, has two 
forms : that which is accordant and that which is 
discordant. The first promotes pleasure and hap- 
piness, the latter engenders misery and ill feeling. 
The same rule holds good in regard to thought, 
knowledge or judgment. There is a choice in the 
1 objects of the mind ' as there is a design in the 
wisdom of their arrangement. True intellectual 
worth is an inestimable treasure, and can only be 
secured through the exercise of the most free and 
accurate perception and reflection. Now, as a 
student in the Vessavi of the Only Hope, let me 
further recommend to your consideration, the 
form, use and purpose, designed to be conveyed 
by the beautiful symbol which you hold, and 
which you are still permitted to retain.' 

" Thus it is that by gradual prompting, that by 
iiewly-awakened curiosity, that by kindly-given 
advice and well-applied influence, the mind of the 
seeker after knowledge is aroused to energy — is 
invited to recognize habits of industry, and to 
heed the whisperings of a devoted spirit, while 
trying to search out the hidden meaning of things. 

"The object of the Toleka, or the reserved sig- 
nification which it is intended to represent, is 
sooner or later disclosed to the wisdom faculties 
of the searcher after truth, and the mind is, hence, 
improved by its investigations and efforts. 

" When first asked if I would be pleased to ac- 
cept a ToleJca — which, in this instance, represent- 
ed amiability — I said, with a doubtful air ot 
jocularity and caution : 

" ' I fear I am not sufficiently adroit in thought 
to discover its hidden meaning/ 



62 THE ONLY HOPE. 

" The beautiful Zanzaress — an angel of mercy 
— who was attending upon our Foni, and whose 
name was Mereonta, perceiving my timidity and 
facetious inclination, at once interested herself by 
saying : 

" 'The Toleka is intended for, and is employed 
as an aid to the mind, in its effort to gain une- 
quivocal intelligence and wisdom. It is desirable 
that, at times, we should turn our attention to the 
many lessons which tend to strengthen thought— 
that we may become 'masters in wise decision.' 
To this end, the true import of the Toleka is 
given in 'judgments,' which correct or establish, 
in the understanding, the real value as well as 
virtue of all conclusions, ability or pre-determined 
purpose.' 

"As a result of the explanations and kindly 
advice given by our pleasant preceptress, I was 
induced to accept the symbolic token which she 
presented, with a view to the discovery of its hid- 
den meaning, and the uses which that meaning . 
implied. 

"When I had learned my first lesson I was 
greatly delighted, in view of having escaped with- 
out making any serious mistakes, as is often the 
case with the unexperienced Matimo. When, 
however, I was called upon to perform the task 
involved in my second lesson, which consisted of 
the conception and delivery of a short soliloquy 
on the Pantomena of mind, or ' the characteris- 
tics of mental action,' I was so unfortunate as to 
be unable to property present the subject ; and I 
was in as much mortification, at the result of my 
effort, as on the previous occasion I had been 



A MESSAGE FROM THE INNER LIFE. 63 

made glad by my success. Our good and consid- 
erate preceptress, observing my restlessness and 
anxiety, approached me with a smile of satisfac- 
tion upon her face, when in a mood of petulance, 
and with an air of subdued consequence I ven- 
tured to ask : 

" 'May I not receive your generous support in 
my effort to obtain an insight into the mystery of 
my lessons \ ' 

"To this she rather evasively, though properly, 
replied : 

" 'If you will consider your own needs, reflect 
upon your own investigations, or, in other words, 
help yourself more freely, it shall be my pleasure 
to give you aid in instruction.' 

"Thus, while I was not without generous assist- 
ance from the wise and gifted Mereonta, I was 
made to feel a personal responsibility, which, al- 
though one that I realized for some time, as a 
heavy burden to bear, I eventually discovered 
was the true source of my joy and success, in the 
pursuit of my studies. 

"By a singular arrangement, and for a reason, 
to me, for a period unknown — it being a privilege 
belonging to the Zefckaron* not permitted to be 
understood — I was only in the first-class of en- 
lightened Mivesoes, who are said to enjoy the 
'only hope,' yet, with restricted perception, espe- 
cially as to the ' coming time ;' hence the Alloni, 
or more advanced students, were alone able — 
owing to their improved condition in mental train- 
ing — to say that the classes in our Komonso, or 



* A Council-place where teacher and educators meet. 



64 THE ONLY HOPE. 

department, as you would say, were comprehen- 
sively in the light of ' present hope ; ' and this, as 
I afterwards discerned, was true, for, by the ' in- 
ward guide,' which is ever personal to the indi- 
vidual in exalting and fixing the status of man- 
hood, so to speak, in our life, they were justly 
entitled to that conclusion. 

" When I had eventually mastered the many les- 
sons administered to the students of the Vessavi, 
which required considerable time and close atten- 
tion to the objects of patient research and thought, 
I could see that the ' only hope ' pertained to the 
4 future ;' for, by an awakening sense of insight 
into the Psito* of ' eternal distress and distrust,' 
and the relationships compelled through the law 
of action, I could readily discern that, in accept- 
ing the marvelous 'gospel of confidence,' as es- 
tablished by our Teeno or 'wise confessors,' I 
was obliged to forego that joy and happiness in 
the consciousness of life, which I had supposed 
that I realized and possessed ; and was alone per- 
mitted to accept that personal promotion, which is 
accorded to the mind, as the result of a laudable 
ambition and desire, or otherwise, in its earnest 
search for that knowledge which is ever reliable 
and true. 

"Thus you will not hesitate to accept the con- 
clusion, my brother, that the course pursued in 
training the minds of the newly initiated students 
of the Only Hope, while it is well calculated to 
undo our pre-added inclinations, imperfections 
and faults, is, at the same time, an effectual 

* A perception of the prevarication of Infinite operations 
and power. 



A MESSAGE FROM THE INNER LIFE. 65 

source of personal improvement, intellectual 
growth and gain. 

' ' When I had so far advanced as to take the 
next step in my educational progress, I was not 
only better prepared to drink in the sublime les- 
sons of ' hope,' in connection with the 'wise pre- 
cepts' of our Hiatimo* but I was ready to be 
continued to the 'higher light' of 'wise inten- 
tions,' which could only have been received in a 
somewhat advanced stage of mental prepared- 
ness. 

"Thus you will perceive that in our life it is 
first necessary to learn 'hope,' next the 'objects 
of hope,' then the 'precepts of wise counsel,' af- 
ter that, 'the gospel of confidence,' then, and 
lastly, 'the law of operative design,' in its appli- 
cation to 'entrusted power.' 

"When I had attained to that condition of 
mental self-reliance, which is so essential to suc- 
cess in obtaining instruction in the ' precepts of 
wisdom,' as taught in the Seona of the Only 
Hope, I was then much better prepared to apply 
such precepts to advantage in my experience in 
this life. 

"The great benefit derived from our processes 
of mental training, consists in the permanency of 
the accordant relations thereby established in the 
' spheres of the mind.' The soul or will, which 
is centered in a union of the senses, becomes 
stronger, and the mind is rendered mature in 
judgment and wdsdom, by our methods. This 
truth can only be realized by those who have re- 



* A class of gifted thinkers and reasoncrs. 



66 THE ONLY HOPE. 

ceived the advantages which are thus to be ob- 
tained, for the reason, that when a person first 
enters our realm from the earth, the inequalities 
of the mind are almost sure to promote impulsive 
action and thought, and the new comer is, as you 
would define it, 'impelled by motives of anxiety.' 

" When I was in the aerial offings of Moino* 
in the sedate classes of the 'Hope of Ormoti^-f I 
was not, as now, in the light of ' continuous re- 
ceptivity of thought,' but otherwise, in 'the de- 
cisions of justice,' which combines propriety of 
thought with prudence in the announcement of 
our opinions ; which virtually unites the desire to 
fathom the mysteries of the ' Divine Life,' with 
the opportunity ; which associates the willingness 
to Jcnow with the wished-for object ; which signi- 
fies, in a plainer sense, the interests of the ' Divine 
government' of 'Divine activity' and 'motive,' 
as observed throughout all natufe. 

"In this degree of educational progress we are 
restrained to silence, and even ' when the full 
graduating students of the Komawon% depart 
from the West Arito % of the Only Hope, to enter 
the Vistena\ of life, we remain, as a spirit frater- 
nity, in a subdued and quiet state of reflection, 
uttering not a single word, what though, with 
some of the ambling Parroti^ we may have been 
for a long time associated in heart and nearness 

* A place of celestial fellowship. 

f A distinction in thought advanced by one Or-mo-ti. 

% The graduating department of the Only Hope. 

§ Departing avenue. 

|| Open, broad sphere. 

IT Wise patients. 



A MESSAGE FROM THE INNER LIFE. 67 

together. This action is based upon the idea that 
while the spirit remains unperfected, or the mind 
fosters a joy in 'isolated hope,' its ' familiar con- 
fidence ' is bemoaned. 

" When a spirit is going away to some remote 
or indefinite region of the universe, and past 
friendships are to be severed, or, when present re- 
lationships are to be broken, it is our custom to 
think, that unless we are able to perceive, that the 
parties thus separating, will again meet in the fu- 
ture of time, that it is unwise to say farewell ; 
hence, when the Parroti depart from the Kor- 
nawon, our Tomonto* which includes many 
thousands of souls, weep in silence and in sad- 
ness at the thought of companionships severed 
by the dividing of the 'hosts of Maonton?\ 

"It is, really, a sad sight, my brother, to see so 
many long-time friends wandering away through 
the heavens in every direction, no more to be 
united in the eager search for knowledge, no more 
to be associated in happy acquaintance or pas- 
time together, in this life. Many of those who 
have been socially familiar, or who have become 
warmly attached to each other, through kindred 
nearness and sympathy, are here parted, never 
more, perhaps, to enjoy the pleasure of a re- 
stored intimacy— never more to meet. 

" Like the fleeing of birds of passage, to some 
distant region— to some more congenial clime, is 

* Those who are receiving new light. 

f This word refers to the enlightened classes of the high- 
est departments of the Only Hope, and is derived from the 
name of a distinguished Egyptian— Maontonosphor. 



b8 THE ONLY HOPE. 

the departure of the Parroti from the West Arito* 
of the Only Hope. 

" These egressions are marvelous to behold. 
They take place at regular intervals, and not less 
than from forty to seventy thousand souls, are 
thus, betimes, liberated from the toils obligated by 
association with the Mar nanus, \ and rise to re- 
ceive the blessings of life, as provided for the en- 
nobled spirit, in the broad sphere of Sovonon.% 

"The outgoing of the graduating classes, is 
thus, as you will observe, a most wonderful sight 
to look upon. By comparison, it reminds one of 
the egress of a vast swarm of bees, as they depart 
from the parent hive ; yet, there is this difference, 
the bees rise and cling together, the Amano dis- 
solve and part. 

"When the mind is once established in that 
wisdom which is only to be gained by centuries 
of observation, toil and study ; or, in other words, 
when the mind becomes fully developed in all of 
its functions, powers and attributes, then the dis- 
cernment of the sublime mysteries involved in the 
study of ' Divine Engineering ' becomes the high- 
est and holiest object of mental ambition, and 
the spirit, journeying through the illimitable 
avenues of space, perceives and learns of the na- 
ture of the Infinite plan and purpose. 

"To spirits thus w r ise, there is no longer any 
doubt, uncertainty, hopelessness, distress or anx- 
iety in regard to the ' future,' for, with such, there 
is no ' coming time,' as through the instrument- 

* Vestibule of egress from the Kornawon. 
f Immortals in close proximity to the earth. 
X A realm of exalted life and happiness. 



A MESSAGE FROM THE IN1STER LIFE. 69> 

ality of will, mental telegraphing is effected, 
and distance — by the instantaneous transmission 
of thought to very remote regions — is annulled, 
thus virtually annihilating all idea of time and 
space. * 

"When I was in the final degree as a gradua- 
ting student of the Only Hope, having been many 
month's engaged in acquiring the desirable lessons 
which are given, and that only in the ' council of 
present precepts,' in our Rotaon Inswan of 'wise 
designs, 5 I said to the kind-hearted Zanza, Mino- 
tosU who, at that time, presided over the depart- 
ment, that I should like to be relieved of the 
obligations which were imposed upon me as a re- 
sult of my confinement to the ' select lessons ' 
which I was then engaged in pursuing, and that,, 
with his permission, I should be pleased torreturn 
for a season to my sisters' home, where I might 
receive temporary freedom from mental care and 
anxiety. 

"Looking at me with a genial smile upon his 
face, he at once replied : 

" ' You may go when it is your pleasure.' 

"After a brief period, and after such needful 
preparation as circumstances required, I took 
leave of my many companions, and journeyed 

* It is somewhat difficult to convey a clear conception of 
the revealments of the spirit as given through influx of 
thought to the semi-entranced senses. The writer was en- 
abled to realize, through "psychologic impression," much 
more, in this connection, than he feels competent to disclose, 
or, than language is capable of expressing. The "only 
hope " as an idea, seems to have been built upon a theory of 
mental progress, as adopted by a wise spirit whose name- 
was Fonewosto. His theory was, that "hope" was funda- 
mental to the ambition of the mind, and led to knowledge, 
knowledge to understanding, and understanding to wisdom. 



70 THE 01STLY HOPE. 

without delay to my sisters' home, where I was 
made glad by the welcome which I received. In- 
deed, the heart- felt expressions of a sister's love, 
were a source of joy and consolation to reward 
me for the many months of arduous devotion to 
study, which I had — in part unwillingly — en- 
dured ; and to make my 'only hope,' winch had 
already partaken of 'despair' and 'sorrow,' a 
blessing to me before unknown. 

"When I had at length safely returned to sis- 
ter Caroline's sight- commanding, aerial Jottan* 
which is situated in view of the open plain of 
Woanista7i,\ I was in such ecstacies of delight, 
in consideration of my return, that for some time 
I was mostly inclined to remain in the quiet re- 
ceipt of the many comforts which it was my be- 
loved 'sister's wish that I should enjoy. 

"I had been absent from Caroline's home for 
nearly eight months, and so overjoyed was she 
upon my arrival, that she gave expression to her 
happiness and satisfaction by saying : 

"'Oh! dear brother, how delighted I am to 
think of your return. I hope that we may never 
be called upon to part from each other again.' 

" 'I hope not,' said I, ' it is much more agreea- 
ble to live in nearness together. While it is true 
that I have experienced much pleasure in my 
studies, and in the associations w r hich I formed in 
the institution of the Only Hope, still I feel much 
happier in the society of my beloved sisters, and 
being nearer to my father's family upon the 
earth.' 

* A guardian's place of observation. 

f The spirit sphere of the aborigines of America. 



A MESSAGE FROM THE INKER LIFE. 71 

" Sister Caroline had been long enough in the 
immortal world to realize something of the nature 
of the spirit-imparted lessons of 'Divine Despair,' 

which have a tendencv to unite kindred hearts 

*/ 

through a knowledge of the characteristics of 
'universal change,' as sentenced in the infinite 
temple of the universe. Hence, she was more so- 
licitous of my remaining near her, than I or sis- 
ter Jennett was, of such close confinement. 

" When, occasionally, I took a ramble out upon 
the broad Zawane — a lovely place, where many 
spirits seek comfort and consolation in peaceful 
retirement from mental cares, and where the wise 
NavataJi dwell in silent, subdued happiness — 
then, pursuing me in my wanderings, she would 
chide me for the uneasiness and dissatisfaction 
which I often manifested. 

"Once while listening to the sweet music of a 
flowing ethereal stratum called Waneomla, or 
' methods in motion,' which meanders through 
the heavens like an earthly stream, sister Caroline 
came near me and said : 

" 'Wherefore, brother, do you come to observe 
Waneomla or pause to listen to its soft, inviting 
melody.' 

"I looked at her for a moment and then, in a 
puzzle of mind, I replied : 

" ' The sweet sounds, which arise from its flow, 
are quite inviting, and moreover, it is very pleas- 
ant to look upon ; but whence does it come, dear 
sister, and whither does it go ? ' 

"Pausing for a moment, as if to gather her 
thoughts, she smilingly answered : 

" 'That is the mystery in which Waneomla is 



72 THE OKLY HOPE. 

involved. Its origin, although inferred, is not to 
be found, while its termination is equally un- 
traceable. Waneomla is, verily, a true symbol of 
^arth-life. It rises so gently from its predeter- 
mined sources that its beginnings are unobserved. 
When once it has attained form and motion, it 
slowly advances in its onward course, giving ex- 
pression to notes of murmuring music, while 
sparkling in the light of its own activity. Wane- 
omla moves along its chosen pathway — one wholly 
determined by the make-up of its own elements 
and power — and is soon lost in its absorbed and 
hidden destiny. Do you not think that in Wane- 
omla we have a good representation of life, as 
known to man ? ' 

" Thus, betimes, my dear sister* would amuse 
herself by the suggestion of new ideas and 
thoughts, by pointing to new objects of interest, 
and by methods and in ways wholly at variance 
with my experience. Sometimes she would speak 
to me in words of consolation, then again she 
would take delight in subduing my assumptions, 
by showing me the way to humility in knowl- 
edge, 

" When we were conversing together upon one 
occasion, concerning the 'laws of life,' she very 
significantly inquired : 

" 'What thinkest thou of the wisdom of men, 
since thou hast observed their condition from our 
realm % ' 



* My sister Caroline was the oldest of my father's family, 
and died in August, 1837, hence, has been nearly forty years 
in spirit-life. 



A MESSAGE FROM THE INNER LIFE. 73 

" ' Oh ! bless me,' said I, * I hardly know what 
to think.' 

" 'Well, then,' she remarked, observing the in- 
definiteness of my words, ' when I first came to 
this world I could not readily discern the capaci- 
ty, pectiliar inclinations, objects, purposes, de- 
sires or designs of mind, as I observed it enwrapt 
by the material substance of the physical brain 
in outward life. Three years subsequent to my 
entrance into this sphere and residence upon the 
Marno* above my father's earthly dwelling, a 
friend came to me and said : 

" * Caroline, would you like to journey with us 
— there were to be several in the party — in a tour 
of inspection around the mother world ? ' 

"'Yes, indeed I would,' I answered, 'nothing 
could be more pleasant or better suited to my am- 
bition.' 

"'Then be soon prepared,' said the inquirer, 
as it is now our intention to journey toward the 
east in about one month, and we shall be happier 
for your presence and companionship in our 
travels.' 

" 'Yes/ said I, 'I will try and be ready. Ac- 
cept my thanks for the kind offer which you have 
made me. It is really more than I could have 
expected.' 

" 'At the appointed time I was ready, and, to- 
gether with fifteen companions, several of them 
having been long-time dwellers in this world — I 
withdrew from my local, aerial home — yet not 
without the appointment of a deputy to fulfill my 
guardian obligations -and journeyed on the 8a- 

* The guardian spirits' plane of life. 



74 THE OJSTLY HOPE. 

lanse* toward the east. We passed over Mon- 
treal and the city of Quebec, thence above the 
Atlantic Ocean to Europe. We visited Ireland 
and England, looking down upon the city of 
London for three days and nights. Prom this 
point we journeyed to Constantinople, thence to 
the west coast of Africa, passing eastward from 
Liberia to the mid- waters of the Nile river, and 
onward over Arabia, Hindostan and China to the 
Phillippine Islands, from thence southerly to 
Guinea and New Holland, and from these islands 
eastward, once more, to the west coast of South 
America. After remaining over this continent for 
several weeks, we returned by the way of Colum- 
bia, Gautimala and Mexico to the east, to our 
respective homes, on the Marno^ and our journey 
was at an end. 

" We were absent on the Solans e, in this jour- 
ney, just ninety days. During that time we had 
visited the principal nations existing upon the 
face of the earth, we had stood above the largest 
cities upon its surface, and had become impressed 
with the motives, feelings and interests which 
prompted men to action, which influenced them 
in their dealings with each other, which led to 
distress as well as happiness in the common con- 
cerns of life. 

" Sister now paused for a moment as if in deep 
reflection, when suddenly addressing me she re- 
marked by way of inquiry : 

"'Wouldst thou observe the torments of sor- 
row and suffering as it exists upon the terrestrial 

* A much-followed line of observation over the circle of 
the earth, in elevated atmospheric regions. 



A MESSAGE FROM THE INNER LIFE. 75 

world. Divine Judgments are wrought in every 
human soul. The pleasures of being are counter- 
poised by the miseries of existence. What sayest 
thou, brother, wouldst thou go with me to observe 
and contemplate the nature of things ? Wouldst 
thou know of the wonderful features of animal 
life, of the strange characteristics of humankind, 
as they exist — as only a spirit may know them 1 ' 

" Sister said nothing more, and so I replied : 

" ' Well, Caroline, really it is not my pleasure 
to be made more miserable than I am, over the 
secreted faults of mortals, but if life requires that 
my knowledge should be made oppressive to the 
happiness which I enjoy, I suppose it were wiser 
to meet the issue — as I used to say — manfully, 
and stare fate boldly in the face.' 

" ' Yes,' she answered, ; that is what it becomes 
necessary for all immortals to realize, and al- 
though the lesson is a sad one, it brings its re- 
ward, by conferring upon us a better understand- 
ing of the objects and purposes of the Great Di- 
vine Author, in the gift of consciousness and life. 
Ere long,' she continued, 'with your pleasure, we 
will seek the solicitudes, as well as the delights, 
which are to be met with in an aerial journey 
around the mother planet.' 

"Thus it was that sister Caroline often took oc- 
casion to interest as well as instruct both Jennett 
and myself, soon after our arrival in the spirit 
home ; and thus we were gradually made familiar 
with the duties and obligations which a residence 
in our sphere of existence implies ; and sometime, 
my brother, when it is mutually agreeable, I will 
convey to you a narrative — in part — of what I 



76 THE ONLY HOPE. 

saw in my first journey over the earth in the circle 
of Salanse. 

"When I was in the Only Hope, which will 
forever add comfort and consolation to my heart, 
as my memory reverts to my experience there, I 
was not only in 'the best of spirits,' as you would 
say, but I was full of joy and confidence , in 
every good purpose , and this constantly increas- 
ed with my educational advancement in that noble 
place of learning. 

"The Only Hope was to me a balm which 
healed many personal imperfections. The more 
diversified ways of life were then and there made 
known to my understanding. The faults and 
follies which pertain to human existence were re- 
vealed in their true light. I soon comprehended 
the great issue to be decided in the outworking 
cause of creation. The lectures in ' wise council ? 
which were given in the Soloni of ' present joy,' 
to the graduating classes, were to me a most 
happy source of instruction and knowledge. I 
was deeply interested in all that belonged to the 
explanations concerning the Wonse* and I lis- 
tened with pleasure to the tributes of praise 
which were extended to the just, the true, and 
the wise. 

"In, and from all this, my brother, you may 
realize something in regard to my condition, some- 
thing in regard to the anxiety which acted as a 
motive, prompting me to return again to you, that 
I might impart some intelligence in relation to my 
career as a spirit in the unseen realms of the im- 
mortal world. 

* The Wonse belong to the lower grades of mind. 



A MESSAGE FROM THE INJSTER LIFE. 77 

"When I was attending the lecture course, 
which is given in the Soloni of the Only Hope, 
where the motto is, 'the open judgments of the 
past,' or, ; nature divested of secrecy,' I was in 
the habit of remarking to those with whom I as- 
sociated, that if my earthly brother could but 
once enjoy the delight of a look into this world, 
and could realize how I was situated, that it 
would be a source of enduring comfort and con- 
solation to his bereaved spirit ; and then on other 
occasions I would think of those loved ones whom 
I had left behind upon the earth, whose ever up- 
permost thoughts were directed heavenward in 
anxious supplication to know of my safety, and 
the conditions upon which my existence in the 
Spirit- world was made gratifying and permanent. 

" When I first returned to the earth, in answer 
to your mental solicitation, I was not in the great- 
est ecstacy of hope as to the result of your appeal 
to be placed in conversational communion with 
us ; and the accomplishment of securing to you 
the clairvoyant visions, which you now so much 
delight to enjoy, w r as not anticipated. When, 
however, after due investigation, we found your 
mental inclination in unison with our desire — 
through a love for the truth and long-continued 
affectionate regard for things of a spiritual import 
— we concluded that, with our aid, you might 
possibly serve some useful purpose in the world, 
and so we whispered in gentle words, by that im- 
pressional process which is confined to our method 
of thought-communion, that if you would absolve 
yourself from the harrassing circumstances of 
outward life, and place your sympathies in har- 



78 THE ONLY HOPE. 

mony of purpose with our intentions, we might 
add to the sum of your personal happiness, by 
enabling you to reveal many interesting facts and 
truths concerning our life, and that, for the bene- 
fit of those who are anxious to consider the details 
of new and oft-occurring phenomena, or who de- 
sire to comprehend the real relation existing be- 
tween the outward world of humanity and the 
inhabited spirit zones. 

"Thus once more, dear brother, we are enabled 
to speak again with each other, as when in child- 
hood, thirty years agone, we lived and loved and 
conversed together with familiar freedom, in the 
' old home,' then made happy by the presence of 
all the members of our father's household; and 
now that we are again in conscious nearness of 
being, and that you can realize that death is not, 
but that 'life immortal' shines out from behind 
the misty veil which separates your earth from 
the Spirit-home, may it be your ever anxious wish 
to so fashion your conduct, and mould your 
worldly surroundings, so that you may be at 
once, the recipient of useful impartations from 
our realm of life, and one who can, in certainty, 
give evidence that you can converse with us as we 
converse together." 



79 



QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. 



The author has deemed it best to reply to the 
inquiries of certain friends and correspondents, 
through the medium of these pages, rather than 
to do so, separately, by letter. It is always a 
source of pleasure to ask as well as to answer 
questions, and it is, likewise, ever a mutual means 
of instruction and knowledge. 



*o v 



Question.— F. G. W. asks: "How long do you think it 
will be before the indawning of the millennium ? I have 
heard this matter talked of ever since I was a boy, but it 
don't appear to me to be any nearer now than it was then." 

Answer :— Nature's laws are one and the same 
thing now and forever. Do not believe in a 
whimsical notion. g The wisdom of man is not 
sufficiently meek, neither is his goodness suffi- 
ciently strong to bring about such a happy result. 
We may advance in learning, gain access to great 
thoughts, make progress in a hundred ways, still, 
difficulties and differences will exist, poison will 
continue to mingle its destructive elements with 
the " sweets of life," and the day will, probably, 
never come on earth, when the "Lion and the 



80 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. 

Lamb ' ' will lie down in peace together, notwith- 
standing the "say so'' of a large class of relig- 
ionists and others. Perhaps you may look upon 
this as a very sorrowful view of the subject. I 
do myself, but it is all that presents itself to my 
mind. 

Qtjes.— H. Be T. inquires: "What is your opinion in re- 
gard to organization among Spiritualists ?" 

Ans. — I think, that in view of the fact that 
they are in good part deprived of the benefits of 
law and social respectability, as a disintegrated 
class of religionists — for Spiritualism is their re- 
ligion — that they should organize for the purpose 
of more effectually aiding each other. I could 
not endorse the sectarianizing of Spiritualism in 
any bigoted or illiberal manner, but to organize 
for self-protection, or, to meet emergencies which 
may arise in the future, would seem to be wise 
and well. 

Qtjes.— L. E. F. asks: "Why is it that you differ so mate- 
rially with A. J. Davis and others, in regard to visions, and 
the freedom of the mind in the Clairvoyant state?" 

Ans.— Oh! dear me, how it does distress some very 
good people because others — whom they would 
like to have enjoy a similarity of views — disagree. 
I have had my heart in brother Davis' writings 
ever since I can remember. I used to think that 
I could believe anything and everything which 
emanated from his pen. I have realized a marked 
change in regard to this matter. I now think 
that, of all men, he is, in some respects, the most 
mistaken. Some of the theories which he has 
advanced, are altogether untenable in the light of 



QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. 81 

science. I can not say wherein brother Davis is 
or is not responsible for the views embodied in 
his writings. To me his philosophy is genial and 
pleasant, but not profound. He is wordy from 
the mouth of the spirit, and is wise, as he should 
be, in keeping his own counsels. 

I differ with him as a thinker, as a writer, as a 
man. I scold a little sometimes to keep my child- 
ren out of mischief. I don't suppose brother 
Davis was ever guilty of any such thing. He has 
visions, and I have visions. He says, as I under- 
stand him, that they are objective ; I say they are 
subjective. He seldom engages in self-investiga- 
tion or reasons, a la critique, upon the subject of 
his own experience. I look into my own realiza- 
tions, consider and reflect upon them as well as 
upon my own thoughts. It seems to me as 
though brother Davis always labored to present 
the best side of philosophy to the mind. I want 
to see and understand both sides. If there is evil 
in Spiritualism, I want to expose it, placing it to 
the account of the realm to which it belongs. If 
there is good in it, I wish to enjoy it with the rest 
of the world. 

I have suffered considerable from spirit con- 
trol. I never can look upon it with happiness. 
Many others suffer in the same manner. I hear 
the dead speak, and I listen to their conversations 
in my normal condition of mind. I suppose Mr. 
Davis enjoys the same privilege. He calls it 
Clairaudiance, I call it sensative or "spirit hear- 
ing." Swedenborg was a recipient of the same 
gift, and so was Socrates. Swedenborg believed it 
was the Lord, at least, in some instances, so also, 



82 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. 

in others, spirits and angels. Socrates said he 
was attended by a demon. The probabilities are, 
that Swedenborg was imperceptive, if not over- 
confident, in regard to the real nature of his ex- 
perience. He was a great thinker, but his thoughts 
were overborne by an ignis fatus of the fancy. 
He was reflectively and theologically top-heavy. 
He was good and kind, but dreamy and imagina- 
tive in intellect. Not so with Socrates. He was 
a self-poised philosopher of great mind. He lived 
on the even balance of reason, questioned the 
studious and the learned without fear, making 
free to affirm his belief in the idea, "that all truth 
is susceptible of being comprehensively demon- 
strated." 

Personally, I differ with Mr. Davis in regard to 
the ability of the seer to see a spirit, as to its own 
life — not as to a representation through visions. 
I differ with him as to the import or suggestions 
of nature in reference to the location of the Spirit- 
world. I differ with him as to the form of the 
spirit. I do not believe in " evil spirits ' ' at all, 
neither in "Diakka." I think that spirits are, 
mostly, wise and worthy, but that they impose 
diabolisms upon us, to restrain our solicitude and 
anxiety in regard to the things of the future, if 
not, in some instances, to subdue our pretentions. 

I am much inclined to think that the idea of 
"seven spheres of existence," as taught by Mr. 
Davis, and before him by Swedenborg, and before 
both by ancient cabalistic writers, is a child of 
the unfeigned imagination. I think we are as 
much mixed up in Spirit-life as we are here. I 
hardly know how I should get along, or what I 



QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. 83 

should do were it not for the many differences 
which appear in all things. I love to contemplate 
nature' s variability. They learn the lesson of life 
the most perfect, who fearlessly regard it in all of 
its forms and phases. We differ with each other 
because we can not help it. Our eyes are not 
alike in color ; our features are not of the same 
shape ; our motions and movements vary when 
we walk. We feel and act according to our tem- 
peraments, ability, and the nature of our sur- 
roundings. Who can say that we are not better 
for our differences % 

Ques.—J. K. makes this inquiry: "What is the present 
condition of the moon V Is it inhabited by any living crea- 
tures, or does its surface present any form of vegetable 
life?" 

Arts. — Science, by means of the telescope and 
other delicate instruments, has reduced the dis- 
tance to the moon a thousand times, thus bringing 
it optically within two hundred and fifty miles 
of our stand-point of observation. The moon is 
a satellite of rough and uneven surface, being, 
evidently, full of mountains and hilly promi- 
nences. The level plains look as though they 
were surrounded by massive, high walls. As- 
tronomers do not discover the presence of water 
or air upon the moon. My Spirit Guide has said 
to me, upon one or two occasions, that the moon 
was the dead body of a once living sphere. That 
its surface was once peopled by several species of 
diminutive animals, like rats, but never by man. 
Its vegetable productions were very limited, and 
consisted principally of lichens, and a few varie- 
ties of small plants, with patches of a kind of 



84 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. 

grass, here and there, not over two inches high. 
He said, likewise, that this state of things existed 
about eighty-five thousand years ago, at a time 
when the earth was in the flush of her wonderful 
vegetable productions, and before man had ap- 
peared upon its surface. I was informed, like- 
wise, that all worlds live and die like the vegeta- 
ble and animal kingdoms to which they give rise ; 
that the chill of death commenced at the poles 
and receded toward the equatorial regions, that 
when a world was dead, and all life had become 
extinct upon its bosom, its distended atmosphere, 
becoming refined by incessant action during long 
ages, evaporated into space, leaving it destitute 
of an aerial covering. Such is the present condi- 
tion of the moon in all probability. 

Ques. — Mr. H. Yeecler, of Plattsburg, 1ST. Y., writes : " Hav- 
ing been considerably interested in Confucius and his teach- 
ings for some years, I have gathered up such books, from 
time to time, as I could concerning them. I recently pro- 
cured your " Life and Moral Axioms of Conf ucius, ,, and I 
now wish to inquire of you concerning the ' Golden Bule/ 
You give your version of it as follows ; viz., Maxim 100 : Do 
unto another what you would he should do unto you; and 
do not unto another what you would not should be done 
unto you. Thou needest but this law alone; it is the foun~ 
dation and principle of all the rest. 

" In Dr. Legges' translation we find it worded thus : * What 
I do not wish men to do to me, I also wish not to do to men/ 
Then again: 'What you do not want done to yourself, do 
not do to others/ Also : ' What you do not like done when 
done to yourself, do not do to others/ 

"You will see that in these translations there are no posi- 
tive precepts, but rather injunctions, requiring us not to do 
certain wrong things, but not telling us to do certain right 
things, although the positive inference is clear enough. 

"I know an Orthodox minister who has specifically as- 



QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. 85 

serted, in his pulpit, that the Golden Rule was never given 
until Christ gave it; all other analogous sayings having 
been merely negative utterance. 

" In your version you construct a positive injunction and 
add a conclusion — 'Thou neediest but this law alone. 9 

" Now I wish to inquire, has ' Confucius ' given the Gold- 
en Rule in a positive form— as Christ did? And further, 
does he give any similar conclusion to it ?" 

Ans. — la the phraseology given to the Golden 
Rule, as taught by Confucius, and interpreted by 
different authors, I have presented that form which 
seemed best to express the innate idea or doc- 
trine designed to be conveyed. That Christ pre- 
sented the maxim in a more positive light, or that 
he clothed it in more positive words than the 
great Chinese moralist did, there is no good rea- 
son for assuming. Christ said: "Therefore all 
things whatsoever ye would that men should da 
to you, do ye even so to them;" this is the law 
and the prophets. Another version reads thus : 
"In all things therefore that ye would that men 
should do unto you, do ye even so unto them, for 
this is the law and the prophets" Then again: 
" In the things therefore that ye would that others 
should do to you, do ye unto them, for this is the 
law and the prophets." 

The wording of any axiom or text, is, at the 
best, a very variable matter, and especially where 
these are translated from other languages, or be- 
come manipulated under the hand of arbitrary 
authority. There is, evidently, nothing more 
positive in the simple injunction of Jesus than 
there is in that of the same or the similar one of 
Confucius. Jesus says : "Whatsoever ye would 
that men should do to you, do you even so to 



86 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. 

them." Confucius says : " Do unto another what 
you would he should do unto you; and do not unto 
another that you would not should be done unto 
you," or as Dr. Legges has it : "What you do not 
like done when done to yourself, do not do to 
others. ' ' The additional sentence, that ' 'this is the 
law and the prophets," as given in the Scriptures," 
or, " thou needest but this law alone " as given in 
the moral saying of "Confucius," really has noth- 
ing to do with the precept. It is simply a volun- 
teered statement as to the value of the doctrine, 
and is as riluch as to say, that as a rule of faith or 
as a law, it was sufficient and could not be super- 
seded. 

As a fundamental principle, any person will 
concede that to do wisely or to do well is to do 
righteously ; or, in other words, to do what is 
right is to avoid doing wrong. Neither Christ 
or Confucius have said more. In fact, the axiom 
of the Golden Rule, as attributed to either one, is 
subject to be seriously criticised. As a rule of 
unquestionable action it can not be obeyed as 
given in the words of either. No doubt the es- 
sential or basic idea is correct as well in the one 
case as in the other. 

The impressions of people are so at variance in 
regard to the same thing, that it is impossible to 
do unto others as you would like to have others 
do unto you. In fact, if you were to do unto 
others as you would have others do to you, you 
would do to others what would offend, in many 
instances, their sense of propriety — of right and 
wrong. 

The world has many curious notions in regard 



QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. 87 

to what constitutes well as, likewise, ill-doing. 
One person would feel offended at what another 
person would enjoy. One would feel exalted 
under the same influence that another would real- 
ize as low and degrading. Mtesa, an African 
king, was offended because one of his royal wives 
plucked and handed him a delicious fruit. He 
said " it was the first time a woman ever had the 
impudence to offer him anything," and he had 
her dragged off for execution.* 

Most people would think that they were " do- 
ing as they would be done by" in the bestow- 
ment of a desirable gift, and certainly very few 
persons would be offended at such a mark of 
favor. But as was said of the old lady, when 
she kissed the cow, " There is no accounting for 
taste;" and we should add much less for the 
" decisions of judgment" as rendered by the 
weak and captious in mind. 

We are not disposed to undervalue the real 
merit of any highly moral doctrine, but in this 
age of enlightened thought, when men are far 
more discerning than they were in the days of the 
Apostles, or in still earlier times, it may not be 
expected that the literary make-up of ideas should 
escape without comment, neither that the claim- 
ants to " moral honor" should be passed by 
simply on the dicta of a personal assurance that 
this or that matter is all right. 

Probably the best rendering of the text which 
we are considering, taking the words "all things " 
into account, would be that adopted by some of 
our best writers, thus: "Do unto another that 

* Speke and Grant's travels in Africa. 



88 QUESTIONS AND ANSWEES. 

which ye would that another should do unto you 
under similar circumstances ." 

Here we have the leniency of the law. It is like 
the masonic idea of the "compass and the square " 
regulating human conduct. In other words it is 
the true doctrine of the "Mem" as taught by 
"Confucius," and may be obeyed ; whereas the 
axiom, as given in our commonly received ver- 
sions of the New Testament Scriptures, can not by 
any possibility be literally fulfilled. Dr. Adam 
Clark virtually admits this to be true, in com- 
menting upon this passage as written in St. 
Matthew, seventh chapter and twelfth verse. He 
says: "None but he whose heart is filled with 
love to (rod and all mankind, can keep this pre- 
cept, either in its spirit or letter" 

We have said enough concerning the literal 
construction of this text to convince any candid 
thinker that it is hardly possible to compound a 
sentence or paragraph so as to cover the whole 
ground of our moral needs, or one which will an- 
swer as a perfect standard for the regulation of 
human conduct. 

The truth is, man's knowledge of right and 
wrong, his conception of what constitutes justice 
in dealing with the world, is not as easily mis- 
taken as the meaning of words or the phraseology 
of a sentence, and as in the one case he need sel- 
dom if ever be mistaken, it is quite certain, that 
in the other, he is likely to be led astray through 
a misconstruction or misinterpretation of the 
definitive meaning of words. 

As to whether Jesus or Confucius presented the 
axiom of the Golden Rule in the most positive 



QUESTIONS AND ANSWEBS. 89 

form, is a question, it would seem, of no material 
importance ; but the idea as to which presented 
it in the best form, as applied to the universal 
moral interests of mankind, there is something 
essential. A minister's opinion in regard to it, is 
nothing more than an expression of a personal 
conviction in reference to the matter ; and as most 
clergymen see a "black sheep" whenever they 
think it necessary, we may not wonder at the de- 
cision of your clerical friend, that "the Golden 
Rule was never given until Christ gave it," or that 
"all other analogous sayings were merely nega- 
tive utterances."* 

* For the axiom of the Golden Eule, or other similar 
moral sayings, among Jewish, Christian and heathen na- 
tions, see Wetstein's Notes. 



OUB APIARY. 



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THE 

MASTEREOIT. 



OR 



REASON AND RECOMPENSE. 



The author met with a misfortune in publishing 
the above named work. Through a circumstance 
over which he had no control, it was put into the 
press without a revision of the "proofs." Al- 
though the book contains quite a number of typo- 
iphical and other errors, it is nicely bound and 
very readable. It contains about 300 pages, in 
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interspersed here and there by suggestive ideas and 
opinions. We have only about 150 copies of the 
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Address, 

MARCEtfUS WRIGHT, 

MlDDLEVTLLE, MlCH. 



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